Uh    THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


THE  HISTOKY  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION 


IN 


RHODE  ISLAND. 


A  DISSERTATION  PRESENTED  TO  THE  BOARD  OF  UNIVERSITY 

STUDIES  OF  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY  FOR  THE 

DEGREE  OF  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 


BY 


WILLIAM  HOWE  TOLMAN. 


1894. 


U&I7B 

.c, .. 


FRONTISPIECE.     FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION 


IN 


RHODE  ISLAND. 


A  DISSERTATION  PRESENTED  TO  THE  BOARD  OF  UNIVERSITY 

STUDIES  OF  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY  FOR  THE 

DEGREE  OF  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 


BY 


WILLIAM   HOWE   TOLMAN. 


1894. 


oar 


LA  3  58 
T-7 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Letter  of  transmittal 9 

Introduction 11 

PART  I. 

COLONIAL  AND  LATER  EDUCATION 13 

Sketch  of  the  colony 13 

Colonial  traits - 13 

Roger  Williams 14 

Contributory  sources  of*  education 16 

feunday  schools 16 

Stephen  Hopkins,  a  type 17 

Libraries 18 

Colonial  education 19 

Variety  of  schools 19 

Support  of  schools 20 

Schoolhouses  and  rooms 21 

Slow  educational  development 23 

Separation  of  church  and  State .' 23 

Disputes  regarding  the  boundary 24 

Isolation  of  the  planter  life 25 

Free  public  school  system 25 

Early  methods 25 

Efforts  of  the  proprietors 25 

John  Rowland 27 

Petition  of  the  Mechanics'  Association 29 

Providence  schools 29 

Revival  of  public  schools 30 

Henry  Barnard 30 

PART  II. 

ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS 33 

Introductory 33 

*-.  ,  University  Grammar  School  34 

Kingston  Academy 39 

Friends'  School 41 

Washington  Academy 52 

Kent  and  East  Greenwich  Academy 57 

Smithfield  Seminary  and  Lapham  Institute 66 

Smithfield  Academy 71 

PART  III. 

EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN 77 

Young  Ladies'  High  School 77 

Young  Ladies'  School,  Prof.  Lincoln 83 

Warren  Ladies'  Seminary 84 

Normal  School 88 

99701 


4  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

PART  IV. 

Page. 

BROWN  UNIVERSITY 93 

Introductory 93 

JAMES  MANNING,  1764-1791 94 

Dtsign  of  the  college 94 

Biography  of  Manning 95 

Correspondence 96 

Funds 97 

Location 97 

First  commencement 101 

Course  of  study 103 

Management 104 

Prominent  men 104 

Discipline 105 

Land  and  buildings 107 

Revolutionary  period 108 

Closing  years  of  Manning Ill 

JONATHAN  MAXCY,  1791-1802 Ill 

Policy  of  the  college 112 

Sketch  of  President  Maxcy 112 

ASA  MESSER,  1802-1826 114 

Introduction 114 

Foundation  of  professorship  of  oratory 114 

Change  of  name 115 

University  Grammar  School 116 

Hope  College 116 

Biographical  sketch  of  Messer 117 

His  policy 118 

Reminiscences 119 

FRANCIS  WAYLAND,  1826-1855 120 

Biography 120 

Characteristics 121 

Class-room  manner 122 

Discipline 124 

What  he  did  for  the  college 125 

Public  services 127 

New  system 128 

Manning  Hall 131 

Rhode  Island  Hall 132 

University  extension 133 

BARN  AS  SEARS,  1855-1867 133 

Early  days 134 

Public  services 136 

Peabody  trust  fund 136 

Scholarships 139 

Exemption  from  taxation  of  college  property 142 

Agricultural  lands 144 

Professor  Dunn _ 145 

ALEXIS  CASWELL,  1868-1872 148 

Biography '. .  148 

The  man  and  teacher 149 

Professional  services 150 

Closing  days 151 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  O 

Tage. 

E.  G.  ROBINSON,  1872-1889 152 

Slater  Hall 153 

Sayles  Memorial  Hall : 153 

Library 156 

Professor  Diman 158 

Professor  Chace 162 

Professor  Greene 165 

ELISHA  B.  ANDREWS,  1889 167 

Course  of  study 168 

Wilson  Hall 182 

Present  policy 183 

Professor  Gammell 188 

The  library 190 

Brown  in  '61 194 

Societies 196 

Athletics 199 

Professor  Lincoln 199 

PART  V. 

THE  RHODE  ISLAND  COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE  AND  MECHANIC  ARTS 201 

Courses  of  instruction 202 

Bibliography 209 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page. 

First  Baptist  Church,  Providence Frontispiece. 

East  Greenwich  Academy 60 

BROWN  UNIVERSITY — Front  campus  96 

University  Hall 108 

Hope  College 116 

Manning  Hall 130 

Rhode  Island  Hall 134 

Slater  Hall 152 

Sayles  Memorial  Hall 156 

Library 158 

Middle  campus — Slater,  Manning  and  University  Halls 168 

Chemical  laboratory 178 

President's  house 184 

Interior  of  library 190 

Jymnasmm 198 

RHODE  ISLAND  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  : 

Chemical  Laboratory,  College  Hall,  Dining  Hall 202 

College  farm  house  and  barns 204 

A  corner  in  the  mechanical  laboratory 206 

Woodwork  done  by  students 206 

A  part  of  the  art  hall 208 

Horticultural  department  vineyard 208 

7 


LETTER  OF  TEANSMITTAL. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION, 
Washington,  D.  0.,  July  31,  1894. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  for  publication  the  mono- 
graph entitled  "History  of  Higher  Education  in  Ehode  Island,"  by 
Dr.  William  Howe  Tolmaii.  This  monograph  is  No.  18  in  the  series  of 
"  Contributions  to  American  Educational  History,"  edited  by  Prof. 
Herbert  B.  Adams.  The  present  circular,  relating  to  the  history  or  one 
of  the  original  thirteen  States,  whose  colonial  history  goes  back  to  1636, 
is  of  interest  to  the  student  and  reader  because  it  raises  the  question 
whether  religious  freedom  reacted  favorably  on  the  establishment  of  a 
system  of  education  in  the  early  colonial  days  of  the  New  England 
colonies.  It  is  claimed  that  union  of  Church  and  State  existed  among 
the  Puritans,  and  the  educational  system  became  the  care  of  the  Gov- 
ernment through  the  clergy,  who  were  in  civil  authority  and  gave  their 
attention  to  education  and  educational  systems.  In  Ehode  Island  no 
person  was  molested,  punished,  disquieted,  or  called  in  question  for 
any  matters  in  religion  that  did  not  actually  disturb  the  civil  peace  of 
the  colony.  By  reason  of  this  emphasis  placed  on  the  separation  of 
Church  and  State,  and  the  consequent  feeble  efforts  toward  united 
action  in  founding  schools,  a  large  number  of  the  clergy  were  found  to 
be  without  any  special  training,  and  this  led  to  the  agitation  which 
resulted  in  the  establishment  of  Ehode  Island  College  (now  Brown 
University)  in  1764,  in  order  that  members  of  the  Baptist  denomination 
might  have  an  institution  where  a  liberal  education  could  be  acquired. 

The  first  part  gives  an  account  of  colonial  and  later  education.  The 
personal  influence  of  Samuel  Slater,  who  opened  his  house  as  the  meet- 
ing place  of  the  first  Sunday-school  in  the  colonies,  September,  1799, 
and  Stephen  Hopkins,  of  whom  President  Manning  said :  "  Few  men 
in  public  life  at  that  time  had  so  thoroughly  applied  themselves  to  the 
study  of  books  and  men,"  furnish  interesting  studies  for  the  historian 
of  education.  The  name  of  Dean  Berkeley  (George  Berkeley,  Dean  of 
Derry,  and  afterwards  bishop  at  Cloyne)  is  prominent  in  the  origin  of 
the  first  public  library  in  the  colony,  1730. 

The  variety  of  schools,  the  slow  educational  development,  and  the 
free  public  school  system  (first  developed  in  Newport  in  1640  and  in 

9 


10  LETTER    OF    TRANSMITTAL. 

Providence  in  1663),  with  the  efforts  of  John  Howland  and  Henry  Bar- 
nard in  education,  are  briefly  but  intelligently  discussed. 

The  second  part  is  devoted  to  the  study  of  academies  and  prepara- 
tory schools.  The  University  Grammar  School,  whose  principal,  James 
Manning,  was  the  first  president  of  Ehode  Island  College,  Greenwich 
Academy,  and  the  Friends'  School  are  perhaps  the  three  most  impor- 
tant. The  third  part  is  devoted  to  the  education  of  women. 

The  fourth  part  is  a  history  of  Brown  University.  The  history  of 
higher  education  in  Ehode  Island  is  properly  said  to  be  a  history  of 
Ehode  Island  College  and  Brown  University,  and  accordingly  the  his- 
tory of  this  institution  occupies  the  greater  part  of  this  monograph. 
Under  such  presidents  as  Manning,  Wayland,  Sears,  Eobinson,  and 
Andrews,  the  labors  of  such  professors  as  Lincoln,  Harkness,  Dunn, 
Diman,  Gammell,  and  others  were  and  are  of  that  efficient  because 
personal  character  that  imparts  the  highest  intellectual  instruction  to 
the  student. 

The  Ehode  Island  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts  was 
organized  and  chartered  subsequent  to  the  date  of  preparation  of 
original  manuscript  of  this  circular. 

To  the  foresight  and  wise  discrimination  of  my  predecessor  in  the 
office  of  Commissioner  of  Education,  Hon.  N.  H.  E.  Dawson,  the  credit 
is  due  for  the  development  and  inauguration  of  the  plan  to  publish 
this  valuable  series  of  monographs. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  T.  HARRIS, 

Commissioner, 

Hon.  HOKE  SMITH, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Washington,  D.  C. 


HISTORY  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION  IN  RHODE  ISLAND. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  history  of  higher  education  in  Rhode  Island  is  the  history  of 
Brown  University,  because  that  is  the  only  university  in  the  State. 
But  the  term  "higher  education"  has  been  interpreted  generously,  in 
order  to  include  academies  and  schools  of  a  similar  nature.  Many  of 
these  were  preparatory  for  college  and  others  furnished  a  practical  edu- 
cation in  navigation,  surveying,  or  other  special  branches.  In  some 
cases  the  academy  or  school  was  established  in  response  to  a  feeling  of 
special  need  on  the  part  of  a  particular  community.  There  were  no 
graded  schools  nor  was  there  a  general  system  of  education.  It  is, 
therefore,  difficult  to  determine  which  were  the  institutions  for  higher 
education.  Some  with  no  more  pretentious  title  than  "school,"  "  acad 
emy,"  or  "seminary"  gave  instruction  in  their  advanced  classes  in  some 
of  the  studies  pursued  in  the  freshman  class  in  college.  It  seemed 
fitting  that  such  institutions  should  have  a  place  in  the  history  of 
higher  education,  and  a  portion  of  this  monograph  has  been  devoted 
to  academies.  A  sketch  of  common-school  education  has  been  given 
in  order  to  connect  colonial  with  the  more  recent  phases  of  educational 
devolopment. 

In  comparison  with  her  sister  colonies  Rhode  Island  was  slow  in 
establishing  a  general  system  of  education  and  the  University  was  not 
founded  till  1764.  Accordingly,  a  sketch  of  the  colony  has  been  given 
stating  the  condition  of  education  at  that  time;  noting  the  contributory 
sources  to  education,  and  showing  why  the  general  educational  develop- 
ment was  so  tardy.  In  colonial  days  Newport  was  the  second  city  in 
the  country,  ranking  next  to  New  York.  The  superiority  of  Newport 
was  gained  through  her  commercial  relations,  for  a  prosperous  com- 
mercial center  is  progressive.  The  relations  between  commerce  and 
education  are  of  interest  in  the  earlier  history  of  the  State. 

Nearly  all  of  the  academies  were  founded  under  denominational 
influences,  but  their  advantages  were  extended  to  all.  They  were  all 
of  a  high  grade,  and  formed  educational  centers,  where  a  student 
obtained  preparation  for  Brown  University,  or  received  a  general  edu- 

11 


12  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

cation.  The  majority  of  the  academies  offered  instruction  to  both 
sexes.  Some  were  entirely  for  female  instruction,  and  have  been 
described  in  the  chapter  on  education  for  women. 

The  history  of  Brown  University  occupies  the  greater  part  of  the 
monograph;  the  natural  divisions  of  the  subject  are  the  periods  of  the 
various  administrations.  There  have  been  seven  presidents  previous 
to  Dr.  Elisha  B.  Andrews.  The  treatment  of  the  earlier  administra- 
tions has  been  largely  biographical.  "An  institution  is  the  lengthened 
shadow  of  one  man."  Hence  the  life  ^purpose,  the  striving  for  its  accom- 
plishment, the  character  of  the  founders  and  the  early  administrators 
of  the  University  are  of  interest  to  the  students  of  institutional  history. 
As  the  University  became  firmly  established,  and  as  it  increased  in 
material  equipment,  attention  has  been  directed  to  those  phases  of  its 
history,  yet  even  here  the  personality  of  the  leaders  must  be  noted. 
The  growth  of  the  University  has  been  steady  and  peaceful 5  high 
standards  of  instruction  have  been  maintained;  and  the  relations 
between  the  institution  and  the  community  have  been  cordial.  When 
the  State  or  municipality  has  needed  the  aid  of  educated  men  for  spe- 
cial services  of  a  public  character,  cheerful  responses  have  been  accorded 
by  the  academic  staff.  Some  of  the  presidents  gave  the  University  the 
benefits  of  the  best  years  of  their  experience,  and  withdrew  from  its 
councils  while  still  in  their  maturity  to  engage  in  pursuits  of  a  public 
nature.  The  charter  of  the  University  is  most  liberal,  and  the  same 
characteristic  is  true  of  its  policy.  While  the  administrators  of  the 
University  have  been  conservative,  they  have  ever  shown  themselves 
willing  to  adopt  methods  that  would  advance  the  best  interests  of 
Brown.  Under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Andrews  the  present  depart- 
ments have  been  strengthened,  University  extension  has  been  success- 
fully organized  in  neighboring  cities,  and  plans  are  being  formulated 
to  found  a  school  of  applied  sciences.  There  is  every  indication  that 
Brown  is  fulfilling  all  the  hopes  of  her  best  friends,  in  becoming  a 
center  for  higher  education. 


PART  I. 

COLONIAL  AND  LATER  EDUCATION. 
SKETCH  OF  THE  COLONY. 

In  writing  the  history  of  education  in  Rhode  Island,  it  is  necessary 
to  sketch  in  outline  the  early  history  of  the  colony,  in  order  to  learn  its 
personnel  and  its  relation  to  the  other  colonies.  In  treating  of  the  early 
history  of  the  colonies,  it  must  be  remembered  that  underneath  all  the 
variety  of  local  developments,  was  the  broad  foundation  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  self- sufficiency.  Each  colony  had  the  roots  of  its  early  life  far  back 
in  the  past,  and  did  not  gain  its  more  rounded  development  at  a  leap. 
It  was  a  plant  of  slow  growth.  These  men,  the  founders  of  our  consti- 
tution, practical  politicians  who  knew  how  infinitely  difficult  a  business 
government  is,  desired  no  bold  experiments.  They  preferred,  so  far  as 
circumstances  permitted,  to  walk  in  the  old  paths,  to  follow  methods 
which  experience  had  tested. 

The  early  life  of  the  colonies  was  varied.  In  Massachusetts  the  close 
union  of  church  and  State  gave  rise  to  a  system  which  early  fostered 
educational  movements,  although  it  can  not  be  admired  for  that  amount 
of  toleration  which  characterized  some  of  her  sister  colonies.  The 
educational  movements  in  the  different  colonies  varied  according  to 
their  physical  characteristics,  personnel  and  religious  rule.  In  any 
account  of  the  history  of  education  in  Rhode  Island,  the  unity  of  the 
work  would  be  incomplete  were  there  no  reference  to  the  early  colonial 
period.  Were  the  founders  and  settlers  of  this  State  men  to  demand 
and  appreciate  the  advantages  of  education  ?  Was  the  environment 
such  that  when  an  educational  movement  was  started  it  could  grow 
under  the  stimulus  of  a  broad  and  catholic  public  opinion  ? 

COLONIAL   TRAITS. 

To  answer  these  questions  and  to  get  an  idea  of  those  times,  in  order 
that  the  animus  of  the  colonists  may  be  seen,  it  will  be  imperative  by 
way  of  introduction  to  the  educational  history  to  glance  at  the  early 
history  of  the  colony.  This  is  all  the  more  necessary  because  events 
of  the  past  are  so  liable  to  be  viewed  with  the  eyes  of  the  present. 

Some  idea  of  the  manners  and  customs  may  be  gathered  from  the 
reminiscences  of  Samuel  Thurber. 

As  respects  schools  previous  to  the  year  1770,  they  were  but  little  thought  of; 
there  were  in  my  neighborhood  3  small  schools,  perhaps  about  a  dozen  scholars  in 
each.  Their  books  were  the  Bible,  spelling  book,  and  primer.  Besides  these  there 
were  2  or  3  women  schools.  When  one  had  learned  to  read,  write,  and  do  a  sum  in 
the  rule  of  three,  he  was  fit  for  business. 

13 


14          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER   EDUCATION   IN   RHODE   ISLAND. 

Manners  and.  fashions  were  very  plain.  The  dress  in  general  was  meant  to  be 
durable.  Men  mostly  with  wash-leather  breeches ;  cloth  for  most  purposes  gener- 
ally manufactured  in  their  families;  laborers  of  almost  every  description  with 
leather  aprons;  the  best  dress  of  the  most  opulent  was  of  English  manufacture,  in 
a  plain  style.  The  mail  was  carried  by  a  Mr.  Mumford  on  horseback,  once  a  week, 
between  Providence  and  New  London,  and.  so  back.  May,  1776,  I  went  to  Pomfn-t, 
36  miles,  in  a  chaise.  The  road  was  so  stony  and  rough  that  I  could  not  ride  out 
of  a  slow  walk  but  very  little  of  the  way.  I  was  near  two  days  in  going,  such  was 
the  general  state  of  our  roads  at  that  time. 

Business  and  occupation  was  similar  to  what  it  now  is,  except  machine  manu- 
facturing. Furniture  in  general  was  very  plain,  mahogany  was  little  known. 
Almost  every  article  of  wood  was  straight,  without  much  paint  or  polish.  But  little 
crockery  and  that  of  a  coarse  kind.  Pewter  and  wood  were  the  principal  table 
furniture.  Two  would  often  be  eating  out  of  the  same  dish,  and  perhaps  a  dozen 
drinking  out  of  the  same  pewter  quart  pot  or  earthen  mug.  In  my  youngest  days 
there  were  few  carriages  besides  carts,  consequently  when  women  wanted  to  go 
abroad  it  was  very  common  for  them  to  go  on  horseback,  sitting  on  a  pillion  behind 
a  man.  The  rising  generation  will  not  have  so  good  times  as  the  latter  have  had. 
What  wars  and  troubles  we  have  had,  have  been  but  a  trifle  to  what  are  to  be. 

Such  was  the  statement  of  a  man  writing  of  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century.1 

ROGER   WILLIAMS. 

The  early  settlers  of  our  colonies  need  no  eulogy.  What  they  wrought 
speaks  for  itself,  and  we  of  to-day  have  entered  into  the  inheritance, 
and  are  reaping  the  benefits  of  their  labors.  The  colonists  were  deter- 
mined aiid  firm  adherents  to  what  they  believed  was  right.  Principle 
guided  those  who  were  in  rule.  It  is  easy  to  bring  against  these  men 
the  charge  of  intolerance  and  uncharitableness ;  but  they  had  left  their 
homes  and  had  severed  nearly  all  the  ties  which  bound  them  to  their 
fatherland,  and  here  they  were  to  conduct  themselves  in  accord  with 
those»principles  which  they  could  not  enjoy  in  England.  •  All  the  col- 
onists who  left  England  were  of  the  same  nation.  They  were  all 
Englishmen,  holding  firmly  to  their  religious  belief;  stubborn  if  you 
will,  but  none  the  less  inflexible.  When,  therefore,  men  came  who 
indulged  in  views  and  opinions  counter  to  their  own,  they  were  not 
tolerated.  Too  much  hardship  and  risk  had  been  undergone  by  those 
who  came  first,  to  have  their  colony  subverted  by  those  who  thought 
differently.  The  reformation  had  wrought  a  mighty  work,  and  made 
a  great  upheaval  in  established  notions,  but  what  it  accomplished  was 
rather  as  a  grand  whole  than  in  detail.  When  men  came  to  the  colony 
of  Massachusetts  and  expressed  opinions  counter  to  those  prevalent, 
objection  was  made  and  measures  taken  to  put  a  stop  to  such  conduct. 
Those  who  incurred  censure  were  men  from  the  same  stock  as  those 
who  sat  in  judgment,  and  felt  firmly  that  they  too  were  in  the  right; 
hence,  they  would  not  yield.  Among  such  was  Eoger  Williams,  who 
had  spent  some  time  at  Plymouth  and  at  Salem.  Several  times  he  had 

1  Staples'  Annals  of  Providence,  pp.  600-607. 


COLONIAL    AND    LATER    EDUCATION.  15 

been  summoned  before  the  court  to  answer  to  charges  preferred  against 
him.  The  ground  of  these  charges  can  best  be  gathered  from  the 
decree  of  banishment  pronounced  against  him  in  1635. 

Whereas  Mr.  Roger  Williams,  oue  of  the  elders  of  the  church  of  Saleui,  both 
broached  and  divulged  divers  new  and  dangerous  opinions  against  the  authority  of 
magistrates;  as  also  writ  letters  of  defamation  both  of  the  magistrates  and  churches 
here,  and  that  before  any  conviction,  and  yet  maintaineth  the  same  without  any 
retraction;  it  is  therefore  ordered  that  the  said  Mr.  Williams  shall  depart  out  of  this 
jurisdiction  within  six  weeks  now  next  ensuing,  which,  if  he  neglect  to  perform,  it 
shall  be  lawful  for  the  governor  and  two  of  the  magistrates  to  send  him  to  some 
place  out  of  this  jurisdiction,  not  to  return  any  more  without  license  from  the  court.1 

He  was  allowed  to  remain  till  spring,  provided  he  would  not  dissem- 
inate his  views.  This  he  refused  to  do.  Because  of  his  refusal  and 
his  thought  of  founding  a  settlement  in  Narragansett  Bay,  it  was 
decided  to  send  him  to  England.  He  fled  to  the  Indians,  and  was 
received  by  one  with  whom  he  had  been  friendly  in  Plymouth. 

In  reviewing  the  measures  which  led  to  the  banishment  of  Roger  Williams  we  find 
that  they  all  proceeded  from  the  firmness  with  which  on  every  occasion  he  main- 
tained the  doctrine  that  the  civil  power  has  no  control  over  the  religious  opinions  of 
men.  To  adopt  this  new  theory  to  practical  life  was  to  effect  a  revolution  in  the 
existing  systems  of  government;  to  sever  the  chain  which,  since  the  days  of  Con- 
stantine,  had  linked  theology  to  the  throne;  to  restore  to  the  free  mind  the  distinc- 
tive but  long-fettered  gift  of  Deity — free  agency;  and,  in  fine,  to  embody  in  civil 
polity  that  principle,  but  dimly  understood  by  the  reformers,  which,  from  Witten- 
berg to  Rome,  in  the  cloister  and  camp,  had  aroused  the  spirit  of  all  Europe — the 
right  of  private  judgment. - 

The  early  history  of  Rhode  Island  seems  to  shadow  the  realization 
of  the  idea  of  a  nation  which  was  secured  by  the  adoption  of  the  Con- 
stitution. When  the  charter  was  suspended  during  the  administration 
of  Andros,  in  1686,  the  government  was  simply  taken  up  by  each  town 
and  these  local  units  continued.  In  1642  there  were  three  colonies  in 
Rhode  Island,  and  they  were  independent.  A  strong  need  was  felt  for 
cooperation.  The  neighboring  colonies  were  claiming  their  territory; 
the  Indians  were  an  uncertain  element,  threatening  the  people,  and 
strongest  of  all  reasons  was  that  which  demanded  every  exertion  to 
keep  the  colony  secure  in  the  principle  of  its  foundation — civil  and 
religious  liberty.  Roger  Williams  was  the  agent  selected  to  go  to 
England  to  secure  the  charter,  and  he  was  successful. 

He  reached  Providence  by  the  same  route  that  eight  years  before  he  had  pursued, 
a  homeless  wanderer,  dependent  on  the  kindness  of  the  red  man.  His  entry  was  like 
a  triumphant  march.  Fourteen  canoes,  filled  with  the  exulting  population  of 
Providence,  met  him  at  Seekonk  and  escorted  him  across  the  river,  while  the  air  was 
rent  with  shouts  of  welcome.  How  the  contrast,  which  a  few  short  years  had  wrought 
in  all  around  him,  must  have  pressed  upon  his  mind,  and  more  than  all  the  feeling 
that  the  five  companions  of  his  exile,  and  those  who  had  followed  them  were  now 
raised,  by  the  charter  he  had  brought,  from  the  condition  of  despised  and  persecuted 
outcasts  to  the  rank  of  an  independent  state.3 

1  Arnold,  History  of  Rhode  Island,  vol.  1. 

2  lUd,  p.  41. 
*IUd,  p.  115. 


16  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

The  charter  was  signed  Thursday,  March  14,  1643-'44,  and  the  colo 
nies  were  united  as  "The  Incorporation  of  Providence  Plantations  ii? 
the  Narragansett  Bay  in  Few  England."  During  the  interval  between 
the  establishment  of  the  government  in  1647  and  the  restoration 
there  were  the  usual  occurrences  incident  to  colonial  life.  It  was  a 
long  time  before  the  colony  could  secure  that  amount  of  repose  whict 
was  necessary  in  order  to  carry  out  a  general  policy  of  education. 

CONTRIBUTORY  SOURCES  OF  EDUCATION. 

Although  a  system  of  education  was  slow,  yet  there  were  many 
influences  at  work  to  continue  the  life  of  movements  in  this  direction. 
It  will  be  shown  why  this  development  was  so  slow.  Among  the  con- 
tributory sources  were  the  personal  influence  of  men  of  whom  Stephen 
Hopkins  was  a  type,  the  conservative  force  of  libraries,  and  the  impulse 
of  Sunday  schools,  and  private  schools  of  all  kinds. 

SUNDAY    SCHOOLS. 

Among  the  earlier  contributory  sources  to  education  was  the  Sunday 
school.  These  schools  were  founded  by  Eobert  Raikes  in  England  in 
1781,  and  were  designed  at  first  to  give  secular  instruction.  They  were 
chiefly  for  the  children  employed  in  manufacturing  establishments, 
who  had  no  .opportunity  during  the  week  for  attending  school.  The  first 
Sunday  schools  in  the  colonies  were  in  Rhode  Island. 

Sunday  schools  were  started  in  Pawtucket  at  an  early  date  and  under  peculiar 
circumstances.  Although  the  attempt  to  rear  a  meetinghouse  was  begun  in  1793,  it 
was  years  before  the  edifice  was  so  far  completed  as  to  be  lit  for  a  congregation,  and 
still  longer  before  a  regular  preacher  was  settled.  The  Sabbath  was,  therefore,  a 
day  of  recreation  and  amusement  rather  than  of  religions  rest.  Mr.  Slater  was 
compelled  to  see  that  moral  agencies  could  not  safely  be  neglected  in  the  community. 
Among  the  boys  who  came  to  work  in  his  mill  was  one  11  years  of  age.  He  found 
an  irreverence  towards  the  Sabbath  which  shocked  his  sensibilities.  Not  knowing 
what  to  do  on  that  day  he  was  subjected  to  peculiar  temptations.  It  so  happened 
that  some  of  the  lads  who  worked  with  him  in  the  mill  were  conferring  together  one 
Sunday  morning  as  to  where  they  should  go.  Said  one  of  them,  "  Let's  go  up  to 
Smithfield  and  rob  Mr.  Arnold's  orchard;  that  will  be  fine  sport. "  But  the  youth 
first  named  demurred.  "I  don't  believe  it  is  right  to  go  off  Sunday  to  rob 
people's  orchards/'  said  he.  Mr.  Slater  happened  to  be  passing  at  that  moment  and 
caught  a  part  of  the  reply.  He  stopped  and  asked,  "  Boys  what  are  you  talking 
about?'7  He  was  told  of  what  had  been  proposed,  and  one  of  the  boys  added, 
"Nat  doesn't  think  it  is  right  to  go  off  so  on  Sunday."  "  No,  nor  I  neither," 
responded  Mr.  Slater,  and  he  doubtless  felt,  if  he  had  never  realized  the  matter 
before,  that  he  owed  a  duty  to  those  youth,  whom  God  had  placed  for  a  time  under 
his  charge.  He  resolved  to  remove  from  them  one  form  of  temptation  and  promptly 
said,  "Boys,  go  into  my  house  and  I  will  give  you  as  many  apples  as  you  want  and 
I  will  keep  a  Sunday  school."  ' 

Eleven  boys  from  his  cotton  mill  composed  this  school  first  opened 
in  September,  1799.  The  school  was  founded  on  the  Raikes  model  for 
secular  instruction.  Its  library  consisted  of  two  testaments  and  three 
Webster's  spelling  books. 


Historical  sketch  of  Pawtucket,  Rev.  Massena  Goodrich,  p.  9. 


COLONIAL    AND    LATER    EDUCATION.  17 

STEPHEN   HOPKINS. 

Although  the  educational  activity  of  the  other  New  England  colonies 
was  in  advance  of  the  colony  of  lihode  Island  and  Providence  Planta- 
tions, yet  it  must  not  be  inferred  that  there  was  no  life.  All  movements 
for  advance  and  reform  are  slow;  often  the  work  seems  to  stand  still, 
yet,  to  him  who  views  the  period  from  a  distance,  movements  that  appear 
feeble  and  isolated  are  those  which  have  guarded  and  advanced  the 
life.  Education  is  not  merely  the  result  of  knowledge  obtained  from 
books.  Said  Prof.  Conrad,  of  Halle:  "I  have  learned  more  from  life 
than  from  books."  President  Manning,  referring  to  Stephen  Hopkins, 
said : 

Few  men  in  public  life  at  that  time  had  so  thoroughly  applied  themselves  to  the 
study  of  books  and  men. 

Hence  in  colonial  days,  everything  which  tended  to  bring  the  people 
into  relation  with  their  fellows,  either  by  individual  or  associated 
effort;  all  work  of  a-  public  nature,  like  the  establishment  of  custom- 
houses, the  improvement  of  the  roads,  provision  for  a  postal  service,  all 
such  efforts  lessened  their  isolation  and  rendered  possible  the  contact  of 
mind  with  mind.  Then  arose  the  need  for  such  training  as  the  school, 
the  academy,  and  the  university  would  supply.  As  confirming  this 
view,  that  the  education  afforded  by  the  school  is  not  self-sufficientf 
Arnold  says: 

Thus  freedom  and  education  went  hand"  in  hand  with  industry  and  economy  in 
the  minds  of  the  fathers  of  the  Constitution. 

Among  the  contributory  sources  to  education  in  the  colonies  was  the 
personal  influence  of  the  colonists.  Stephen  Hopkins  may  be  taken  as 
an  illustration.  In  early  life  he  had  felt  the  need  of  an  education,  and 
when  in  after  life  by  his  own  efforts  he  had  realized  the  attainment  of 
a  liberal  education,  he  determined  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  aid  others  in 
securing  the  means  of  obtaining  an  education.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  a  public  library  in  1750.  He  had  a  library  of  his  own  which, 
for  that  day,  was  a  good  one.  It  was  said  of  him: 

He  attached  himself  in  early  youth  to  the  study  of  books  and  men,  and  continued 
to  be  a  constant  and  improving  reader,  a  close  and  careful  observer,  until  the  period 
of  his  death. 

He  was  fond  of  history  and  poetry.  Pope,  Thomson,  and  Milton 
were  his  favorites.  When  he  had  removed  to  Providence,  he,  with  sev- 
eral other  citizens,  sent  to  England  for  some  books,  which  laid  the 
foundation  for  the  Providence  library.  He  said: 

Nothing  tends  so  much  to  the  good  of  the  commonwealth  as  a  proper  culture  of 
the  minds  of  its  youth. 

For  several  years  he  served  as  governor  of  the  State,  and  was  one  of 
the  delegates  to  the  Albany  congress. 

To  a  young  man  of  his  marked  capabilities,  his  quick  instincts,       1  his  lively  appre- 
ciation of  all  phases  of  human  life,  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  t         the  two  or  three 
occasions  in  every  year  when  his  duties  called  him  to   Newport  were  opportunities 
1 123  R  j 2 


18  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

which  he  would  by  no  means  allow  to  pass  him  unimproved.  This,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, was  the'"Newport  of  Dean  Berkeley  and  of  the  genial  divines,  Rev.  Mr.  Hony- 
ruan  and  Rev.  Dr.  MacSparran  ;  of  Smibert,  the  painter,  and,  alittlelater.of  the  youth- 
ful Gilbert  Stuart ;  of  such  merchant  princes  as  the  Wantons,  the  Malbouer,  Abraham 
Redw(  od,  and  Whipple;  of  such  accomplished  historical  scholars  as  Dr.  Stiles  and 
John  Callender.  and  of  scientific  men  like  Joseph  and  Peter  Harrison  and  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Hunter.  It  was  the  period  when  such  families  as  those  of  Wanton,  Brenton, 
and  Vernou,  Bull,  Coddiugton,  Brinley,  ami  Robinson  furnished  the  cultivated  society 
for  which  the  town  became  eminent,  and  when  the  distinguished  literary  club  which 
was  founded  by  Berkeley,  and  which  numbered  among  its  members  such  men  as  Cal- 
lender, Ellery,  Ward,  llonyman,  Checkley,  Updike,  and  Johnston,  was  a  most  potent 
influence  in  fixing  upon  the  society  of  Newport  that  character  for  refined  and  digni- 
fied culture  which  it  has  since  borne.  "  A  similar  auspicious  influence,"  says  Dr. 
King,  "  on  the  character,  intelligence,  and  public  spirit  of  the  town,  on  her  rising 
statesmen,  her  liberal  merchants,  her  cultured  scholars,  and  her  able  lawyers,  must 
be  attributed  to  the  Redwood  Library."1 

From  the  brief  sketch  of  Hopkins,  who  may  be  taken  as  a  type,  it 
may  be  seen  how  the  influence  of  a  man  like  him  would  be  exerted  in 
favor  of  all  that  concerned  education. 

LIBRARIES. 

Another  contributory  source  to  education,  although  closely  allied  to 
personal  influence,  is  that  exerted  through  the  libraries  of  the  day, 
more  or  less  extensive.  A  name  prominent  in  the  origin  of  the  liivst 
library  in  the  colony,  is  that  of  Dean  Berkeley. 

The  arrival  of  George  Berkeley,  Dean  of  Derry,  and  afterward  bishop  at  Cloyne, 
was  a  joyful  event  in  the  history  of  Newport,  and  important  in  its  results  to  the 
other  colonies.  A  corps  of  literary  men  and  artists  accompanied  him,  among  whom 
was  Smibert,  to  whose  advent  is  due  the  earliest  impulses  to  American  art.  From 
the  collection  of  pictures  that  he  brought,  Copley  first  drew  his  inspiration,  and 
West  wras  taught  to  breathe  his  spirit  upon  the  undying  canvas.  The  benevolent 
design  of  Berkeley,  to  found  a  college  in  the  Bermudas,  was  abandoned  from  necessity  ; 
but  his  liberal  benefactions  to  Harvard  and  Vale  still  exist,  as  proofs  of  his  zeal  in 
the  cause  of  classical  learning." 

Dean  Berkeley  had  the  opportunity  to  lead  just  the  life  of  retirement 
that  he  wished,  and  selected  for  his  residence  the  town  of  Newport. 
Here  he  wrote  his  philosophical  tractates.  He  came  in  contact  with  the 
scholars  of  the  day  in  his  adopted  city.  Berkeley  did  not  live  to  himself 
alone;  he  established  a  literary  and  philosophical  society.  Among 
the  objects  of  this  society  was  the  collecting  of  books.  From  the  fact 
that  this  society  was  in  all  probability  among  the  oldest  of  a  similar 
nature  in  the  country,  some  of  its  rules  are  of  interest. 

Whereas,  A.  D.  1730,  Messrs.  Daniel  Updike,  Peter  Bours,  James  Searing,  Edward 
Scott,  Henry  Collins,  Nathan  Townsend,  Jeremiah  Coudy,  and  James  Houyman,  jr., 
did  form  a  society  for  the  promotion  of  knowledge  and  virtue,  by  a  free  conversation 
according  to  several  regulations  by  them  agreed. 

We,  the  present  members  of  the  said  society,  finding  it  necessary  on  many  accounts 
for  the  more  effectual  answering  the  end  of  our  institution,  do  agree  to  enter  into  a 


Foster's  Stephen  Hopkins,  vol.  i,  pp.  74,  75.  2  Arnold,  vol.  ii,  p.  99. 


•    COLONIAL    AND    LATER    EDUCATION.  19 

more  strict  engagement  and   establish  the  following  as  the  laws  and  orders  to  he 
observed  in  this  society : 

(1)  The  members  of  the  society  shall  meet  every  Monday  evening  at  the  house  of 
one  of  the  members,  seriatim,  and  converse  about  and  debate  some  useful  question 
in  divinity,  morality,  philosophy,  history,  etc. 

(2)  The  member  who  proposed  the  question  shall  be  moderator  (pro  hac  vice)  and 
see  that  order  and  decency  be  maintained  in  all  the  debates  and  conversation. 

(3)  Every  member  in  order  shall  freely  give  his  opinion,  with  his  reasons,  having 
liberty  to  explain  the  sense  of  the  question  or  his  own  expressions,  and  to  retract  or 
alter  his  opitfion  as  to  him  shall  seem  right. 

(4)  The  member  at  whose  house  we  meet  shall  propose   a   question  for  the  next 
evening's  conversation,  the  society  to  judge  of  its  propriety  and  usefulness,  only 
nothing  shall  ever  be  proposed  or  debated  which  is  a  distinguishing  religious  tenet 
of  any  one  member. 

The  remainder  of  the  13  rules  concern  the  election  of  members,  tines 
and  dues,  and  the  general  government.  The  plan  for  collecting  books 
was  aided  by  Abraham  Keel  wood,  who  gave  the  society  £500  on  condition 
that  the  society  would  erect  a  suitable  building.  This  was  done,  so  that 
the  money  was  forthcoming".  The  fact  that  this  library  was  in  Newport 
was  one  reason  which  induced  Dr.  Ezra  Stiles,  afterward  president  of  Yale 
College,  to  settle  there.  "At  length,"  to  usehisown  language,  "  partly  an 
agreeable  town  and  the  Kedwood  library  *  *  *  induced  me  to  yield, 
and  I  gave  an  affirmative  answer  to  the  church  and  society."  The  con- 
dition of  the  library  at  that  date  may  be  seen  from  the  sketch  given  by 
Holmes,  the  biographer  of  Stiles : 

The  Redwood  library,  at  Newport,  consisting  of  about  1,500  volumes  at  the  time 
of  his  settlement  there,  and  augmented  afterwards  by  books  imported  from  Europe, 
intrusted  to  his  selection,  was  highly  propitious  to  his  wishes  and  to  his  literary 
improvement.  To  the  accomplishment  of  an  end,  Providence  always  furnishes  ade- 
quate means.  This  library,  the  benefit  of  which  Mr.  Stiles  enjoyed  above  twenty 
years,  and  to  which,  being  librarian,  he  could  always  have  access,  was  eminently 
subservient  to  his  preparation  for  the  presidential  chair,  to  which  he  was  in  due  time 
to  be  called.1 

COLONIAL  EDUCATION. 

VARIETY   OF   SCHOOLS. 

As  preparatory  to  the  period  of  educational  activity,  and  as  afford- 
ing a  connecting  link,  a  brief  account  of  colonial  education  must  be 
given.  There  seems  to  be  no  justification  for  the  use  of  the  term 
u  science  of  education  "  till  well  into  the  present  century,  but  there 
were  many  and  varied  educational  movements.  The  need  and  advan- 
tage of  education  were  appreciated.  A  glance  at  the  colonial  records 
will  confirm  this.  The  ways  and  means  may  cause  a  smile  to-day,  but 
they  were  the  best  which  could  be  then  devised,  and  they  accomplished 
in  very  many  cases  their  object.  If  fewer  branches  were  taught,  great 


The  Life  of  President  Stiles,  by  Abiel  Holmes,  pp.68. 


20  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

thoroughness  was  gained.     One  extract  from  the  records  will  show  thr* 
sentiment  regarding  higher  education: 

In  1696  a  tract  of  laud  in  the  town  of  Kingston  was  conveyed  to  Harvard  Co'- 
lego  for  and  towards  the  support  and  education  at  the  said  college  of  those 
youths  whose  parents  were  not  of  sufficient  ability  to  maintain  them.  In  1716  a 
gift  vf  £50  for  the  college  in  Connecticut  was  made  by  Jahliel  Brenton,  of  Newport. 
In  spite  of  what  Rhode  Island  had  to  contend  against  in  her  settlement  and  govern- 
ment, there  were  schools  of  all  kinds,  although  no  uniform  organized  system. 

The  early  schools  were  select  or  private  schools,  although  movements 
for  free  schools  were  very  early  made,  but  the  time  had  not  come  for 
them.  An  advertisement  from  the  Newport  Mercury  of  May  22,  1759, 
will  show  the  character  of  one  of  them : 

John  Sims,  schoolmaster  in  the  town  school,  teacheth  reading  and  writing,  arith- 
metic, both  vulgar  and  decimal,  geometry,  trigonometry,  and  navigation,  with  several 
other  branches  of  mathematics.  He  proposes  to  open  a  separate  school  on  the  first 
Wednesday  of  June  next,  to  continue  the  summer  season,  beginning  at  half  after  six 
o'clock  and  concluding  at  eight,  and  in  the  afternoon  (each  day  except  Thursday  and 
Saturday)  from  five  till  half  after  six,  for  the  instruction  of  young  ladies  in  writing 
and  arithmetic.  As  he  endeavours  to  study  the  genius  of  his  scholars,  whether  of 
exalted  or  inferior  capacities,  and  conducts  himself  accordingly,  he  hopes  to  receive 
the  greater  encouragement. 

Another  notice  from  the  same  paper,  under  the  date  of  December  19, 
1758,  states : 

Sarah  Osborne,  schoolmistress  in  Newport,  proposes  to  keep  a  boarding  school. 
Any  person  desirous  of  sending  children  may  be  accommodated  and  have  them 
instructed  in  reading,  writing,  plain  work,  embroidering,  tent  stitch,  samplers,  etc., 
on  reasonable  terms. 

Another  school  appears  to  have  given  more  attention  to  a  commercial 
training : 

Thomas  Greene,  in  Barrister's  row,  hereby  informs  the  public  that  he  proposes  to 
open  a  school  the  first  Monday  in  May,  to  teach  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  and 
merchants'  accounts — the  Italian  method — and  as  he  don't  incline  to  undertake  for 
more  than  twenty  (besides  a  very  few  small  readers),  they  that  favor  him  scholars 
may  depend  on  their  being  taught  with  the  greatest  alacrity.  He  has,  as  usual,  an 
assortment  of  English  goods,  &c.,  at  a  reasonable  rate. 

NEWPORT,  April  14, 1766. 

The  notices  of  these  schools  were  taken  from  advertisements  in  the 
papers  of  that  time.  There  were  in  addition  other  kinds  of  schools — 
for  vocal  and  instrumental  music  and  for  dancing.  French  was  gen- 
erally taught  by  the  masters  of  dancing  schools. 

SUPPORT    OF    SCHOOLS. 

The  schools  were  supported  in  various  ways.  A  favorite  method  of 
raising  money  for  nearly  everything  was  by  lottery,  the  public  senti- 
ment then  being  different  from  what  it  is  now.  The  following  notice 
in  the  Mercury  for  October  5,  1767,  will  illustrate  this  method  : 

Scheme  of  a  lottery  granted  by  the  general  assembly  of  the  colony  of  Rhode 
Island,  &c.,  for  raising  £150  lawful  money,  to  be  applied  towards  finishing  the  par- 
sonage house  belonging  to  the  Baptist  Churc^  in  Warren  and  rendering  it  com- 


COLONIAL    AND    LATER    EDUCATION.  21 

modious  for  the  reception  of  the  pupils  who  are  or  who  shall  be  placed  there  for  a 
liberal  education.  *  *  *  It  is  hoped  that  the  extraordinary  expense  of  that 
infant  society  in  building  a  new  meetinghouse  and  parsonage  house,  as  far  as  the 
building  is  advanced,  together  with  the,  immediate  necessity  of  room  for  the 
pupils  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Manning,  and  the  great  encourage- 
ment for  the  adventurers,  there  being  but  little  better  than  two  blanks  to  a  prize, 
will  induce  those  who  wish  well  to  the  design  speedily  to  purchase  the  tickets. 

Another  means  of  support  for  the  schools  was  the  income  from  the 

school  lands. 

QUARTER  MEETING,  April  17,  1709. 

Mr.  William  Gilbert  being  chosen  schoolmaster  for  ye  town  of  Newport,  and  pro- 
posing that  upon  conditions  the  quarter  meeting  grant  him  the  benefit  of  the 
school  land,  viz.,  the  chamber  and  sellar  and  the  profit  arising  from  ye  school  land 
in  this  part  of  the  town,  and  some  conveniency  for  keeping  of  fire  in  the  winter 
season,  he  is  willing  to  teach  school  for  the  year  ensuing,  and  to  begin  the  second 
Monday  in  May  next,  voatedand  allo^d.an  act  of  the  quarter  meeting. 

Tuition  also  defrayed  some  of  the  charges.  At  the  fourth  meeting 
held  in  Bristol,  September  7,  1682,  it  was  voted  "that  each  person  that 
hath  children  in  town  ready  to  go  to  school  shall  pay  3d.,  the  week 
for  each  child's  schooling  to  a  schoolmaster,  and  the  town  by  rate, 
according  to  each  rateable  estate,  shall  make  the  wages  amount  to 
twenty-four  pounds  the  year."  In  the  same  town  a  source  of  revenue 
was  acquired  from  allowing  certain  persons  to  keep  houses  of  enter- 
tainment, on  condition  of  their  paying  sums  of  money  for  the  benefit 
of  the  school.  The  licenses  varied  from  21s.  to  £4. 

Yet  again  in  1729  the  schoolmaster  was  instructed  to  receive  from 
each  scholar  4s.,  or  in  default  of  the,  money,  which  was  not  always  easily 
obtained,  its  value  in  firewood.  The  money  thus  raised  was  called 
"wood  money."  Payments  in  kind  were  often  received,  the  latter 
being  one  of  the  various  commutations. 

SCHOOLHOUSES   AND   BOOMS. 

From  various  places  descriptions  of  the  school  buildings  and  rooms 
have  been  gathered. 

Rooms  occupied  for  school  purposes  for  the  common  grades  were  some  vacant  car- 
penter's shop,  some  spare  room  in  an  old  dwelling  house,  or,  if  you  will  indulge 
credulity,  some  unoccupied  barn  with  a  stove  pipe  chimney. 

Schoolrooms  in  those  days  were  unique  and  curious  to  the  refined  taste. 
The  old  stone  chimney,  with  a  fireplace  6  or  8  feet  wide  and  stone 
andirons,  with  a  glowing  fire  made  of  oak  or  walnut  wood,  the  cross- 
legged  table  and  the  long  writing  desks  on  two  or  three  sides  of  the 
room,  the  benches  of  sawmill  slabs  and  round  legs  with  the  bark  on, 
are  true  emblems  of  "ye  olden  time." 

Round  the  walls  of  the  room,  on  three  sides,  wide  boards  were  fastened  at  a  suit- 
able height  and  inclination  for  writing  desks,  in  front  of  which  seats,  usually  made 
of  slabs  or  plank,  were  placed.  The  rooms  were  sometimes  ceiled,  but  rarely,  if  ever, 
plastered.  The  huge  fireplace  and  numerous  cracks  served  for  ventilation. 

At  first  private  schools  were  kept  in  unoccupied  rooms  of  dwelling  houses,  accom- 
modated with  rude  fixtures  not  the  most  convenient.  Within  the  bare  walls  oi 
those  cold  but  well-ventilated  schoolrooms  were  gathered  the  children,  the  youth, 


22          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

and  the  full-grown  young  men  and  women  with  their  Testaments,  Dill  worth's  Spell- 
ing Hook  and  Arithmetic,  Murray's  Third  Part,  slate  and  pencil,  and  two  sheets  of 
foolscap,  goose  quill,  and  ink  blotter. 

The  schools  were  often  very  crowded  and  very  uncomfortably  seated.  Stoves  were 
unknown,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  huge  chimney,  with  its  broad  fireplace,  insured 
the  best  of  ventilation,  thus  furnishing  the  sturdy  boys  of  the  olden  time  an  abun- 
dance of  pure  air. 

With  reference  to  books,  with  which  the  schoolroom  of  the  day  is  so 
well  furnished : 

But  few  books  were  to  be  obtained.  Indeed,  the  spelling  book  was  nearly  the  only 
kind  of  printed  book  known  to  the  schoolroom  in  early  times.  This  contained,  in 
addition  to  the  lessons  in  spelling,  lessons  in  reading.  Usually  no  printed  text-book 
on  the  science  of  arithmetic  was  used.  The  master  had  what  was  called  his  "cipher- 
ing book."  This  was  in  manuscript — a  copy  of  some  other  master's  book.  Probably 
originally  it  was  a  copy  of  a  printed  text-book  on  the  subject,  with  the  addition  of 
the  solutions  of  the  problems.  The  scholars  4ppied  the  definitions  and  rules.  Usu- 
ally the  master  wrote  the  problems  in  the  books  and  then  the  learners  solved  them, 
if  able,  and  copied  the  solutions  into  their  books.  Fractious  were  omitted  as  being 
useless.  Much  stress  was  placed  on  the  "rule  of  three,"  especially  what  was  called 
the  "double  rule  of  three."  For  writing  the  scholars  used  loose  sheets  of  paper  or 
a  number  of  sheets  stitched  together.  Copies  were  written  by  the  masters,  some  of 
whom  have  left  proof  in  this  form  of  wonderful  caligraphy. 

Channing,  in  his  Early  Recollections  of  Newport,  relates  the  following 
incident  regarding  Webster's  Spelling  Book: 

William  Cobbett,  a  renowned  satirist  of  the  day,  published  in  one  of  his  political 
essays  a  last  will  and  testament,  which  contains  the  following  item: 

I  give  and  bequeathe  to  Noah  Webster  the  sura  of  fifteen  Spanish  milled  dollars, 
to  enable  him,  the  said  Noah,  to  procure  a  new  engraved  likeness  of  himself  for  his 
spelling  book,  that  children  may  no  longer  be  frightened  from  their  studies ;  with 
this  special  proviso,  that  he  omits  the  usual  addendum  of  esq.  from  his  name. 

To  the  educator  of  the  present  day  the  old  ideas  of  discipline  seein 
strange,  yet  they  were  effective  in  cultivating  a  spirit  of  reverence  for 
authority,  and  the  youth  of  those  days  were  not  very  deficient  in 
courtesy  and  politeness.  Regarding  the  discipline  of  the  schools  Gr. 
G.  Channing  says: 

On  the  rostrum  were  two  or  three  chairs  for  distinguished  visitors  and  a  small 
desk  for  the  master,  on  which  reposed,  not  often,  a  punctured  ferule,  surmounted 
•by  an  unpleasant-looking  cow  skin.  So  exceedingly  disagreeable  were  the  daily 
ministrations  of  these  instruments  of  instruction  that  every  method  was  adopted 
for  their  destruction.  But  the  master  was  more  than  a  match  for  our  organ  of 
destmctiveness.  It  certainly  was  not  the  prototype  of  the  school  at  Rugby,  where 
Dr.  Arnold  ruled  successfully  without  making  any  of  the  distinguishing  marks 
which  characterized  my  pupilage.  Exhibitions  of  authority  constituted  day  by 
day  a  series  of  domestic  tableaux.  The  discipline  of  the  school  was  in  accordance 
with  the  government  of  the  home.  It  was  arbitrary,  with  rare  exceptions,  in  the 
extreme.  The  ferule  and  cow  skin  were  almost  deified.  Apologies  increased  rather 
than  abated  the  swellings  of  the  hand  and  the  wales  upon  the  back.  An  appeal  to 
parents  was  of  no  more  avail  than  beating  the  air.  The  severe  discipline  was  not 
interfered  with  by  the  clergy,  for  in  their  day  they  had  to  run  the  gauntlet ;  and 
as  the  men,  and  even  the  boys,  of  that  age  were  notoriously  addicted  to  swearing, 
drinking,  gambling,  and  other  vices,  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  subdue  these  evils 
by  blows.  No  faith  existed,  then,  in  moral  suasion.1 

1  Early  Recollections  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  by  Rev.  George  G.  Channing. 


COLONIAL  AND  LATEE  EDUCATION.         23 
SLOW  EDUCATIONAL  DEVELOPMENT. 
CHURCH  AND  STATE. 

In  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island  the  attention  that  was  given  to  educa- 
tion was  not  so  definite  nor  so  early  as  in  the  sister  colonies.  Harvard 
was  founded  in  1638,  Yale  in  1702,  while  Rhode  Island  College,  later 
Brown  University,  was  established  in  1764.  But  while  this  fact  may 
be  regretted  on  some  accounts,  that  early  period  was  schooling  the 
colonists  in  independency  and  in  true  fraternity.  Although  the  colon- 
ists were  not  skilled  in  the  text-books  of  the  schools,  the  Bible,  spelling 
book,  and  primer,  and  an  ability  to  use  "  the  rule  of  three" — a  training 
then  sufficient  for  a  business  man — yet  they  firmly  maintained  their 
rights  against  royal  and  colonial  encroachments. 

It  might  seem  that  religious  freedom  would  be  advantageous  to  a 
system  of  education,  but  it  was  not.  Among  the  Puritans  there  was 
the  close  union  of  church  and  state.  When  their  religion  was  estab- 
lished the  clergy  who  were  in  civic  power  gave  their  attention  to  edu- 
cation, and  the  educational  system  became  the  care  of  the  authorities. 
In  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island,  with  her  aversion  to  anything  like  an 
establishment,  the  need  of  a  system  of  education  was  not  felt  so  keenly. 
The  entire  religious  freedom  which  prevailed  in  this  colony  brought  in 
many  settlers,  because  freedom  in  matters  of  conscience  was  extended 
not  only  to  Christians  but  to  all  others  of  whatever  belief. 

The  liberal  Baptist,  denying  any  mortal  power  over  the  immortal  mind ;  the  benign 
Quaker,  seeking  only  to  be  guided  by  "  the  inner  light ;"  the  mystical  Gortonist, 
merging  his  humanity  in  the  divine  essence — these  had  framed  and  founded  the  insti- 
tutions of  a  State  upon  principles  broad  enough  to  embrace  the  whole  human  family 
as  the  children  of  one  common  Father.  The  polished  Episcopalian  and  the  zealous 
Puritan,  each  claiming  in  his  dispatches  to  be  "  the  true  Church,"  speedily  followed 
to  occupy  a  field  at  once  so  novel  and  so  inviting.  Each  learned  something  he  had 
never  known  before,  and  all  were  improved  by  the  mutual  contact;  so  that  even 
Mather,  a  quarter  of  a  century  later  than  his  previous  denuniciation,  after  having 
himself  assisted  at  the  ordination  of  a  Baptist  clergyman  in  Boston,  writes  iii*a  let- 
ter to  Lord  Barrington,  describing,  although  not  acknowledging,  the  progress  of 
Rhode  Island  principles,  that  "  Calvinists  with  Lutherans,  Presbyterians  with  Epis- 
copalians, Pedobaptists  with  Anabaptists,  beholding  one  another  to  fear  God  and 
work  righteousness,  do  with  delight  sit  down  together  at  the  same  table  of  the 
Lord.' 

Church  and  state  were  separated.  In  other  colonies  appropriations 
were  made  for  schools  and  churches.  In  the  year  1650  public  educa- 
tion was  compulsory  in  every  other  colony  in  Kew  England.  On 
account  of  the  doctrine  of  separation  in  Rhode  Island,  large  numbers 
of  the  ministers  were  without  any  special  training;  in  fact,  the  founda- 
tion of  the  college  was  in  order  that  members  of  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion might  have  an  institution  where  a  liberal  education  could  be 
acquired.  Children  grew  up  without  the  opportunities  of  securing  an 


Arnold,  vol.  ii,  p.  88. 


24          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

education,  even  if  their  parents  bad  sufficient  means  to  furnish  it  to  them. 
Neither  the  town  nor  colony  made  any  provision  for  public  schools. 
This  situation  was  but  the  logical  outcome  of  the  doctrine  of  the  set- 
tlers of  the  State,  who  believed  in  the  rigid  separation  of  the  civil  and 
religious  functions  in  administration.  The  experiment  which  was  here 
trietl  was  of  benefit  to  the  country,  but  of  injury  to  the  early  life  of  the 
colony.  How  great  was  the  religious  freedom  the  following  extract 
from  the  charter  will  show: 

Our  royal  will  and  pleasure  is  that  no  person  within  the  said  colony  at  any  time 
hereafter  shall  be  any  wise  molested,  punished,  disquieted,  or  called  in  question  tor 
any  differences  in  opinion  in  matters  of  religion,  and  do  not  actually  disturb  the  civil 
peace  of  the  said  colony ;  but  that  all  and  every  person  and  persons  may,  from  time 
to  time  and  at  all  times  hereafter,  freely  and  fully  have  and  enjoy  his  and  their  own 
judgments  and  consciences  in  matters  of  religious  concernments  throughout  the  tract 
of  land  hereafter  mentioned,  they  behaving  themselves  peaceably  and  quietly,  and 
not  using  this  liberty  to  licentiousness  and  profaneness,  nor  to  the  civil  injury  or 
outward  disturbance  of  others:  any  law,  statute,  or  clause  therein  contained,  or  to 
be  contained,  usage  or  custom  of  this  realm  to  the  contrary  hereof  in  any  wise  not- 
withstanding. 

BOUNDARY   DISPUTES. 

A  second  reason  for  the  non-establishment  of  a  public-school  system 
was  the  dispute  concerning  the  boundary  between  Rhode  Island  and 
the  neighboring  colonies.  The  principles  and  ideas  of  the  colony  in 
Ehode  Island  were  new  to  the  others,  and  the  hostility  of  her  neigh- 
bors was  aroused.  Before  education  could  receive  the  necessary  atten- 
tion, colonial  life  was  to  be  maintained  and  the  encroachments  of  her 
neighbors  warded  off.  Not  till  1746  was  the  grant  made  by  the  royal 
charter  settled.  The  geographical  knowledge  of  the  day  was  crude. 
The  location  of  this  colony  was  described  as  in  the  "  West  Indies  in 
America." 

Disputes  concerning  the  boundary  were  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the 
colonies.  These  arose  from  conflicting  patents  granted  by  the  sover- 
eign and  various  boundaries  as  prescribed  in  successive  charters.  The 
ignorance  of  the  geography  of  the  colonies  will  account  for  the  mistakes 
in  defining  boundaries.  Another  fruitful  source  of  dispute  was  the 
ambiguity  and  vagueness  of  the  grants  received  from  the  natives.  In 
some  cases  the  uncertainty  arose  from  the  difficulty  of  communication 
between  the  parties  and  in  others  from  design.  In  either  case  the 
jealousy  and  distrust  of  the  natives  were  aroused  and  the  colonists 
were  kept  in  constant  alarm.  In  addition  to  the  quarrels  with  the 
natives,  bickerings  and  disputes  as  to  title  arose  with  the  adjoining 
colonies,  and  disturbed  the  peace  of  the  settlements.  Disputes  with 
the  natives  could  generally  be  settled  by  appeal  to  the  sovereign  from 
whom  the  grants  were  made,  because  they  were  questions  of  jurisdic- 
tion, but  disputes  between  the  colonists,  involving  individual  interest 
and  private  feeling,  were  more  bitter  and  continuous. 


COLONIAL  AND  LATER  EDUCATION.  25 

PLANTER  LIFE. 

Another  reason  why  the  development  of  education  was  slow  was  the 
character  of  the  settlements  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  The 
section  of  land  adjoining  the  west  shore  of  the  bay  was  productive, 
and  was  owned  in  large  plantations  by  wealthy  proprietors.  They 
were  gentlemen  of  leisure  and  were  the  most  cultivated  and  educated 
among  the  colonists.  Many  of  them  had,  for  that  day,  large  and 
extensive  private  libraries.  These  planters  had  the  pleasure  and  profit 
of  intercourse  with  each  other.  But  the  people  in  the  interior  and 
more  western  part  of  the  State  were  scattered,  the  means  of  communi- 
cation were  poor,  and  they  enjoyed  but  few  of  the  comforts  and  luxu- 
ries of  life.  The  centers  of  communication  and  information  were  the 
villages,  for  there  were  no  towns.  The  opportunities  for  the  inhab- 
itants to  add  to  their  knowledge  were  those  which  came  from  the 
religious  and  town  meetings  and  the  county  courts.  Even  the  vil- 
lages were  few  in  number  in  the  western  part  of  the  State  at  that 
time,  and  nearly  all  of  the  present  day  are  of  recent  growth  and  the 
result  of  manufacturing  interests.1 

The  religious  freedom,  disputes  concerning  the  boundary,  and  the 
planter  life  in  the  western  part  of  the  State  were  the  chief  reasons 
for  the  slow  growth  of  a  system  of  education. 

PUBLIC-SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 
EARLY  METHODS. 

The  adoption  of  a  free  public-school  system  by  the  State  was  late, 
but  provisions  for  education  by  the  towns  were  early.  There  were  a 
few  private  schools  of  high  grade,  but  the  characteristics  of  the  greater 
part  of  these  schools  have  been  described  in  the  section  on  colonial 
education.  The  reasons  have  been  given  why  the  educational  develop, 
inent  of  the  State  was  so  slow.  The  first  provision  for  education  was 
made  by  the  colony  August  20,  1640,  in  Newport,  ft  was  voted  "  that 
one  hundred  acres  should  be  laid  forth  and  appropriated  for  a  school, 
for  encouragement  of  the  poorer  sort,  to  train  up  their  youth  in  learn, 
ing." 

Public  education  in  Newport  continued  till  1774,  when  from  that  time 
till  about  half  a  century  later  nc  school  was  supported  by  the  income 
from  the  school  land. 

EFFORTS   OF   THE   PROPRIETORS. 

In  Providence.  May,  16G3,  the  proprietors  passed  this  order  with 
reference  to  public  education : 

It  is  agreed  by  this  present  assembly  that  one  hundred  acres  upland  and  six  acres 
of  meadow  (or  lowland  to  the  quantity  of  eight  acres  in  lieu  of  meadow)  shall  be 
laid  out  within  the  bounds  of  this  town  of  Providence;  the  which  land  shall  be 
reserved  for  the  maintenance  of  a  school  in  this  town  and  shall  be  called  by  the 
name  of  the  school  lands  of  Providence. 


1  An  address  by  E.  R.  Potter  before  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society,  February 
19, 1851. 


26  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

There  were  also  smaller  schools  supported  by  private  charity.  A 
school  in  Newport  was  established  by  Nathaniel  Kay,  to  "  teach  ten 
poor  boys  their  grammar  and  the  mathematics  gratis." 

Mr.  E.  Trevett  announced  in  the  Newport  Mercury  in  1807  that  he 
"will  gratuitously  teach  as  many  poor  children  as  he  can  attend  in  the 
State  House  a  few  hours  in  the  morning."  The  "  Female  Benevolent 
Society77  announced  that  a  few  children  could  be  admitted  into  their 
school.  In  1808  the  "  African  Benevolent  Society*'  opened  a  school,  the 
object  of  which  was  the  "  free  instruction  of  all  the  colored  people  of 
this  town  who  are  inclined  to  attend."7 

The  Sunday  school,  in  its  early  days,  was  an  element  in  secular 
instruction.  These  efforts  for  education  outside  of  what  was  done  by 
the  State  kept  the  matter  of  State  action  for  public  schools  before  the 
community. 

We  retrace  our  steps  to  the  year  17G7  in  Providence.  At  that  time  the 
town  made  a  vigorous  effort  for  free  public  schools.  A  proposition  was 
made  to  build  four  schoolhouses  and  place  the  control  of  the  schools  in 
the  hands  of  a  committee.  Accordingly  two  committees  were  chosen, 
one  to  supervise  the.  construction  of  the  buildings  and  the  other  to  pro- 
vide for  the  government  of  the  schools.  The  reports  on  this  matter 
were  both  rejected,  but  the  report  of  the  second  committee  was  in  writ- 
ing and  shows  the  design  of  those  who  were  interested  in  the  free  pub- 
lic schools.  At  the  beginning  of  the  report  it  was  stated: 

The  education  of  youth,  being  a  thing  of  the  first  importance  to  every  society,  as 
thereby  the  minds  of  the  rising  generation  are  formed  to  virtue,  knowledge,  and  use- 
ful literature,  and  a  succession  of  able  and  useful  men  are  produced  with  suitable 
qualification  for  serving  their  country  with  ability  and  faithfulness;  and  institu- 
tions of  this  nature  are  the  more  useful  by  how  much  the  more  liberal  and  free  the 
enjoyment  of  them  is,  etc. 

Good  and  sufficient  masters  were  to  be  supplied  to  the  schools  by 
the  town;  firewood  also  was  to  be  provided  at  the  expense  of  the  town. 
Every  inhabitant  of  the  town  was  to  enjoy  the  equal  right  and  privilege 
of  sending  his  children  to  the  school.  The  scholars  must  have  learned 
their  letters  and  have  acquired  some  knowledge  of  spelling  before  they 
were  to  be  admitted  to  the  smaller  schools.  For  admission  to  the 
larger  school  they  must  have  gained  considerable  knowledge  in  read- 
ing and  writing.  The  rest  of  the  report  concerned  the  duties  of  the 
teachers  and  the  government  of  the  schools.  Accompanying  this 
report,  which  had  been  drawn  up  by  Governor  Bowen,  was  a  memoran- 
dum made  by  Moses  Brown : 

1768.  Laid  before  the  town  by  the  committee,  but  a  number  of  the  inhabitants 
(what  is  most  surprising  and  remarkable,  the  plan  of  a  free  school,  supported  by  a 
tax,  was  rejected  by  the  poorer  sort  of  the  people),  being  strangely  led  away  not  to 
see  their  own  as  well  as  the  public  interests  therein  (by  a  few  objectors  at  first), 
either  because  they  were  not  the  projectors  or  had  not  public  spirit  to  execute  so 
laudable  a  design,  and  which  was  first  voted  by  the  town  with  great  freedom.  M.  B. 


COLONIAL  AND  LATER  EDUCATION.  27 

At  this  time  in  Providence  there  were  lOli  houses,  and  911  inhabitants 
(including  189  children  between  the  ages  of  5  and  14)  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river. 

By  the  rejection  of  the  report  of  the  committee  the  action  of  the 
meeting  was  repealed.  However,  one  schoolhouse  was  built  by  the 
town  and  by  individuals,  the  town  having  the  control  of  the  lower 
story.  This  state  of  affairs  continued  till  1785,  when  a  committee, 
chosen  to  draw  up  a  plan  of  education,  reported : 

They  have  endeavored  to  suggest  some  general  outlines  for  the  regulation  of 
schools  as  they  are  now  supported  by  individuals,  but  are  of  opinion  that  no  effec- 
tual method  can  be  devised  for  the  encouragement  of  learning  and  the  general  dif- 
fusion of  knowledge  and  virtue  among  all  classes  of  children  and  youth,  until  the 
town  shall  think  proper  to  take  a  matter  of  so  much  importance  into  their  own 
hands  and  provide  and  support  a  sufficient  number  of  judicious  persons  for  that 
purpose. 

The  town  took  no  action  at  all  upon  this  suggestion,  but  accepted 
Whipple  Hall,  known  as  the  u  First  District  School  House.'7  The  town 
was  to  pay  rent  for  it  and  keep  it  in  repair.  It  also  set  apart  certain 
sums  of  money  for  its  support,  but  the  outcome  of  the  arrangement 
was  that  those  attended  who  could  pay  the  tuition  asked  by  the  instruc- 
tors. In  1791  a  petition  was  made  for  the  establishment  of  free  public 
schools. 

In  1795  a  resolve  was  passed  to  establish  "  schools  for  the  free  edu- 
cation of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  and  that  the  expense  of  the 
same  be  defrayed  out  of  the  town  treasury."  Till  the  year  1800  the  reso- 
lutions that  were  passed  were  excellent,  but  their  provisions  were  not 
carried  into  effect. 

JOHN   ROWLAND. 

The  public  school  system  of  the  State  is  indebted  as  much  to  John 
Howland  as  to  any  other  man.  He  was  not  wealthy  or  highly  educated ; 
nor  did  he  occupy  an  influential  position  in  the  community.  He  was 
born  in  Newport  in  1757,  and  at  an  early  age  was  sent  to  Providence 
to  be  apprenticed  to  a  hair  dresser.  He  served  eighteen  months  in 
the  Revolutionary  army.  A  short  while  after  his  return  to  Providence 
he  had  a  barber  shop  of  his  own,  and  it  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the 
townspeople.  Judge  Thatcher  recorded  in  his  diary  that  he  was  rec- 
ommended to  go  and  be  shaved  by  Mr.  Howlaud  as  the  best  prelimi- 
nary to  any  important  information  on  subjects  of  local  history. 

Later  he  became  treasurer  of  the  first  savings  bank  in  Providence. 
He  was  also  at  one  time  president  of  the  Khode  Island  Historical  Society, 
and  assisted  in  the  formation  of  a  peace  society,  of  which  he  was  pres- 
ident. He  was  a  member  of  the  Mechanics'  Association,  and  in  connec- 
tion with  this  organization  he  began  to  work  fora  system  of  free  public 
schools.1 

1  History  of  Public  Education  in  Rhode  Island.     T.  B.  Stockwell. 


28  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

The  record  oft  this  movement  is  best  presented  in  the  words  of 
Howland  himself: 

In  1789  the  Mechanics'  Association  was  formed,  and  in  this  body  begun  the  agi- 
tation that  led  to  the  establishment  of  public  schools.  When  we  came  together  in 
our  association  we  made  the  discovery  of  our  deficiencies.  There  were  papers  to 
be  drawn,  and  various  kinds  of  writing  to  be  done,  that  few  of  us  were  compe- 
tent to  execute.  Then  we  began  to  talk.  The  question  was  asked :  "Ought  not  our 
children  to  have  better  advantages  of  education  than  we  have  enjoyed?"  And  the 
answer  was  "yes."  Then  it  was  asked :  "How  shall  these  advantages  be  secured  ?"  The 
reply  was:  "We  must  have  better  schools.^  So  when  we  had  talked  the  matter  over 
pretty  thoroughly  among  ourselves  we  began  to  agitate.  As  I  was  something  of  a 
talker  and  had  practiced  writing  more  than  most  of  my  associates,  a  good  deal  of 
this  work  fell  to  my  lot,  and  I  was  very  willing  to  do  it,  because  I  felt  and  saw  its 
importance.  So  I  wrote  a  number  of  pieces  for  the  newspaper  and  induced  others  to 
do  the  same.  I  prevailed,  however,  with  only  one,  Grinall  Reynolds.  He  felt  as  I 
did  about  the  matter,  and  wrote  a  piece  for  the  Gazette  in  favor  of  schools.  We 
had,  indeed,  the  good  will  of  many  educated  men.  We  met  no  opposition  from 
the  wealthy,  but  they,  having  the  advantages  for  their  sons  and  daughters  that 
wealth  can  always  procure,  did  not  feel  as  we  poor  mechanics  did.  They  were  not 
active.  In  this  beginning  of  the  movement  they  seemed  willing  to  follow,  but 
were  unwilling  to  lead  the  way.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  throughout  the  whole 
work  it  was  the  most  unpopular  with  the  common  people  and  met  with  the  most 
opposition  from  the  class  it  was  designed  to  benefit.  I  suppose  this  was  one  reason 
why  the  most  influential  citizens  did  not  take  hold  of  it  heartily  in  the  beginning. 
They  thought  its  success  doubtful  and  did  not  wish,  in  a  public  way,  to  commit 
themselves  to  an  enterprise  that  would  curtail  their  popularity  and  influence.  This 
was  not  the  case  with  all,  but  it  was  so  with  many. 

The  more  we  discussed  the  subject  the  greater  became  its  importance  in  oureyeso 
After  a  good  deal  of  consultation  and  discussion  we  got  the  Mechanics'  Association 
to  move  in  the  matter.  This  was  an  important  point  gained,  and  an  encouragement 
to  persevere.  A  committee  was  chosen  to  take  up  the  subject.  Of  this  committee 
1  was  a  member.  They  met  at  my  house,  and  after  mature  deliberation  it  was 
resolved  to  address  the  general  assembly.  I  told  them  that  as  neither  of  us  were 
qualified  to  draw  up  a  paper  suitable  to  go  before  that  body,  we  had  better  write  a 
petition  embodying  our  individual  views  and  bring  it  to  the  next  meeting.  Out  of 
these  mutual  contributions  we  could  prepare  a  petition  that  would  do.  This  was 
agreed  to,  and  the  committee  separated.  When  we  next  met  it  was  found  that  but 
two  had  written  according  to  previous  recommendation.  These  were  by  William 
Richmond  and  myself.  Richmond  then  read  his.  It  was  in  the  usual  petition  style, 
ending  "as  in  duty  bound  we  will  ever  pray."  I  told  the  committee  I  did  not  like 
the  doctrine  of  that  paper.  It  was  too  humble  in  tone.  I  did  not  believe  in  peti- 
tioning legislators  to  do  their  duty.  We  ought,  on  the  contrary,  in  addressing  that 
body,  to  assume  a  tone  of  confidence;  that  with  the  case  fairly  stated  they  would 
decide  wisely  and  justly  for  the  rising  generation.  I  then  took  out  my  memorial 
and  read  it.  It  was  not  in  the  shape  of  an  humble  petition.  It  expressed  briefly 
our  destitution  and  the  great  importance  of  establishing  free  schools  to  supply  it. 
It  received  the  approbation  of  the  committee  and  was  adopted.  This  memorial  was 
presented  to  the  general  assembly  in  the  name  of  our  association.  It  was  there 
warmly  debated,  and  after  pretty  severe  opposition  the  assembly  referred  the  whole 
subject  to  a  committee,  with  directions  to  report  by  bill.  This  bill,  embodying  a 
general  school  system,  was  drawn  up  by  James  Burrill,  jr.,  attorney-general  of  Rhode 
Island.  I  was  with  him  all  the  while,  and  he  readily  complied  with  my  suggestions.1 

!Life  and  Recollections  of  John  Howland,  late  president  of  the  Rhode  Island  His^ 
torical  Society,  by  Edwin  M.  Stone,  pp.  138  et  seq. 


COLONIAL    AND    LATER    EDUCATION.  29 

PETITION    OF    THE    MECHANICS'   ASSOCIATION. 


This  memorial  stated  that  at  present  the  means  of  education  were 
very  inadequate  and  what  should  be  provided  by  the  State  was  left 
to  the  exertions  of  individuals.  The  supply  fell  far  short  of  the 
demand.  Appreciation  on  the  part  of  the  association  was  expressed 
for  the  chartered  privileges  of  their  own  corporation,  and  they  peti- 
tioned the  assembly  that  provision  might  be  made  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  system  of  free  public  schools.  This  they  urged  in  order 
that  the  youth  who  were  pressing  forward  to  take  their  places  as 
active  citizens  might  have  the  means  of  gaining  an  education.  The 
petitioners  hoped  that  their  occupation  as  mechanics  and  manufac- 
turers would  not  prevent  them  from  adding  to  these  reasons  the  fact 
that  liberty  and  security  under  a  republican  form  of  government 
depend  on  a  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  the  people.  This 
petition  was  signed  by  a  committee  of  eight. 

This  subject  was  referred  by  the  assembly  to  a  committee,  and  in 
1800  an  act  establishing  free  schools  became  a  law.  This  act  pro- 
vided that  each  town  in  the  State  should  establish  annually,  at  the 
expense  of  the  town,  one  or  more  free  schools  for  the  instruction  of 
all  the  white  inhabitants  of  the  town  between  the  ages  of  6  and 
20.  Reading,  writing,  and  common  arithmetic  were  to  be  taught  to 
all  who  "may  stand  in  need  of  such  instruction  and  apply  there- 
for." The  remaining  sections,  eleven  in  number,  provide  for  the  main- 
tenance and  the  government  of  the  schools  that  may  be  established. 

The  law  met  with  great  opposition  and  was  repealed  in  a  few  years. 
From  the  newspapers,  there  seems  to  have  been  no  hint  of  the  spe- 
cial influences  which  brought  about  the  repeal.  In  1801  instructions 
from  several  towns  were  read  against  the  school  bill  and  occasioned 
a  motion  for  its  repeal.  It  was  referred  to  a  committee,  who  were  to 
report  an  amended  bill  at  the  next  session.  No  such  bill  appears  to 
have  been  passed;  the  whole  measure  was  defeated  by  simple  uon- 
enforceinent,  and  the  law  was  repealed  at  the  February  session,  1803. 

PROVIDENCE     SCHOOLS. 

Providence  was  the  only  town  which  had  ever  carried  it  into  effect. 
But  as  the  Providence  schools  have  been  sustained  ever  since  under 
the  organization  thus  begun,  and  as  tha  whole  State  was  afterwards 
brought  under  a  system  essentially  identical  with  that  proposed  by  Mr. 
Howland,  he  may  justly  be  called  the  founder  of  the  public-school  sys- 
tem of  the  State. 

Four  schools  were  opened  in  Providence  on  the  last  Monday  in  Octo- 
ber, 1800.  The  number  of  scholars  was  beyond  anticipation,  and  a 
fifth  school  was  soon  opened.  For  twelve  years,  however,  the  whole 
attendance  rarely  exceeded  800.  The  four  original  schools  had  each 
a  master,  with  a  salary  of  $300,  and  an  usher,  who  was  paid  $200. 


30          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 
REVIVAL    OF    PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

The  second  movement  for  a  State  system  of  public  schools  begaD  by 
the  passage  of  a  resolution  in  1820  by  the  assembly,  "calling  on  the 
several  towns  for  information  on  the  subject  of  public  schools."  Scarcely 
any  town  had  any  information  to  give.  This  same  year  the  importance 
of  public  education  was  urged  by  the  press  of  Providence  and  New- 
port. Another  committee  was  appointed  "to  prepare  and  report  a  bill 
establishing  free  schools."  No  report  was  made  and  the  impulse  died 
away.  Later  there  was  a  local  movement  in  Newport,  and  various 
schemes  were  suggested  to  make  the  education  a  State  matter.  In 
1827  Mr.  Joseph  L.  Tillinghast,  of  Providence,  was  the  leader  in  urging 
free  schools  upon  the  assembly.  The  subject  was  first  introduced  by 
memorials  from  Smithfield,  Cumberland,  Johnson,  East  Greenwich,  and 
other  towns.  The  bill  of  this  year  was  passed  in  1828,  nearly  unani- 
mously. 

This  act  of  1828  is  the  foundation  of  the  present  school  system  of 
the  State.  When  this  law  went  into  operation  the  schools  had  been 
detached  and  isolated,  dependent  wholly  on  the  degree  of  enlightenment 
or  energy  prevailing  in  a  particular  town.  Now  they  were  to  be  part 
of  a  State  system.  There  were  various  modifications  of  the  school  laws 
till  they  were  codified  in  1839. 

HENRY   BARNARD. 

Iii  1843  Henry  Barnard  was  appointed  to  take 'charge  of  the  public- 
school  system,  and  this  was  considered  as  the  most  important  step  yet 
taken  in  the  history  of  the  schools.  So  great  was  the  confidence  felt 
in  Mr.  Barnard,  that  the  school  legislation  of  the  State  was  virtually 
placed  in  his  hands,  and  he  was  instructed  by  the  assembly  to  prepare 
and  present  the  draft  of  a  school  law  which  should  cover  the  whole 
ground  of  existing  statutes.  This  law  was  passed  June  27,  1845.  He 
was  very  efficient  in  inspecting  and  reorganizing  the  whole  school  sys- 
tem. He  remained  in  office  five  years,  retiring  in  1849  on  account  of 
failing  health.  The  testimonial  presented  him  by  the  teachers  of  the 
State,  on  his  retirement,  gives  the  best  summary  of  what  he  did  tor 
the  State  in  his  system  of  public  schools: 

Of -the  extent  of  your  labors  in  preparing  the  way  for  a  thorough  reorganization 
of  onr  system  of  public  schools,  and  in  encountering  successfully  the  many  difficul- 
ties incident  to  the  working  of  a  new  system,  few  of"us  can  probably  be  aware. 
But  we  can  speak  from  a  personal  knowledge  of  the  value  of  the  teachers'  institutes 
which  have,  from  time  to  time,  been  held  by  your  appointment,  and  provided  (too 
often,  we  fear,  at  your  expense)  with  skillful  and  experienced  instructors  and  prac- 
tical lecturers;  and  of  the  many  books  and  pamphlets  on  education  and  teaching 
whi<  h  you  have  scattered  broadcast  over  the  State.  We  can  speak,  too,  of  what  the 
teachers  of  the  State  know  from  daily  observation — many  of  them  from  happy  expe- 
rience—of the  great  change,  nay,  revolution,  which  you  have  wrought  in  our  school 
architecture,  by  which  old,  dilapidated,  and  unsightly  district  schoolhouses  have 
given  way  for  the  many  new,  attractive,  commodious,  and  healthy  edifices  which 


COLONIAL  AND  LATER  EDUCATION.  31 

now  adorn  our  bills  and  valleys.  We  have  seen,  too,  and  felt  the  benefits  of  the 
more  numerous  and  regular  attendance  of  scholars,  of  the  uniformity  of  text-books, 
the  more  vigilant  supervision  of  school  committees,  and  the  more  lively  and  intelli- 
gent interest  and  cooperation  of  parents  in  our  labors,  which  have  been  brought  about 
mainly  by  your  efforts.  The  fruits  of  your  labors  may  also  be  seen  in  the  courses  of 
popular  lectures,  which  are  now  being  held,  and  in  the  well-selected  town,  village, 
and  district  libraries,  which  you  have  assisted  in  establishing,  and  which  are 
already  scattering  their  life-giving  influence  through  our  beloved  State. 

Mr.  Barnard  was  succeeded  by  Hou.  Elisha  R.  Potter,  who  ranks 
second  to  his  predecessor  only  in  the  quantity  of  his  labors,  not  their 
quality.  His  legal  experience  was  of  the  greatest  value  in  codifying 
the  school  laws  of  the  State;  laws  which  he,  on  the  bench,  was  after- 
wards able  to  expound  and  apply  with  authority.  In  1850  he  recom- 
mended a  board  of  education,  and  was  a  persistent  advocate  of  a  nor- 
mal school,  which  was  established  in  that  same  year.  Another  service 
rendered  by  him  was  the  discussion  and  elucidation  of  the  religious 
question  in  public  schools.  Succeeding  him  were  Rev.  Robert  Allyn, 
from  1854  to  1857;  John  Kingsbury,  1857-1859;  Dr.  Joshua  B.  Chapin, 
1859-1861  and  from  1863-1809;  Henry  Rousmaniere,  1861-1863;  Hon, 
T.  W,  Bicknell,  1869-1875;  Hon.  T.  B.  Stock  well,  1875  till  the  presen': 
time, 


PART  II. 
ACADEMIES  AND  PEEPAEATOEY  SCHOOLS. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

The  educational  phases  of  the  academy  in  New  England  within  the 
last  century  and  a  half  are  varied.  There  are  nearly  as  many  grades 
as  there  are  academies.  The  lowest  in  grade  are  merely  district  schools, 
teaching  the  "three.  E's,"  while  the  highest  are  preparatory  schools  for 
the  colleges  of  New  England,  and  in  some  cases  take  their  students  as 
far  as  the  studies  of  the  freshman  year.  Yet  academies  of  the  low- 
est grade  were  by  no  means  a  small  factor  in  the  educational  growth. 
Scattered  throughout  the  sparse  and  rugged  settlements,  they  offered 
the  only  means  for  instruction  that  could  be  then  obtained.  They  were 
powerful  in  character  building  and  in  furnishing  many  a  man  for  the 
struggle  of  daily  toil,  so  that  when  he  had  gained  a  position  where  he 
could  look  back,  it  was  the  old  academy  that  he  thanked  for  his  start. 
These  institutions  were  as  altars,  small  and  with  few  attendants,  yet 
with  the  fire  from  the  prytanaeum  jealously  guarded,  till  by  constancy 
and  devotion  schools  became  shrines  to  which  came  boys  from  distant 
homes.  In  more  than  one  instance  an  academy  which  to  day  is  doing 
preparatory  work  for  college,  at  first  was  very  unpretending.  J  Then, 
too,  in  those  days,  when  the  helps  to  knowledge  were  few,  when  the 
student  retained  what  he  mastered  because  he  had  to  work  for  it,  what 
little  was  offered  was  thorough,  and  a  desire  was  created  for  something 
more.  The  lives  of  many  of  the  self-taught  men  of  the  early  decades  of 
this  century  will  demonstrate  this.  The  early  days  of  academies  were 
not  days  of  wealth.  The  erection  of  these  buildings  represented  self- 
sacrifice  and  a  firm  belief  in  the  advantages  of  education.  This  fact 
finds  repetition  in  the  preamble  to  many  of  the  charters,  in  which  there 
is  recognition  of  the  blessings  of  education,  not  only  to  the  immediate 
vicinity,  but  also  to  the  Government.  f£s  contributory  rills  to  the  great 
stream  of  collegiate  instruction  all  these  smaller  institutions  are 
important.  In  education  nothing  is  small,  for  often  an  idea  or  an  impulse 
is  implanted  in  the  mind  of  someone  so  that  he  is  the  means  of  placing 
within  the  grasp  of  others  those  advantages  from  which  he  himself  was 
debarred.) 

Between  the  years  1790  and  1S65  as  many  as  19  institutions  of  learn- 
ing received  charters  from  the  assembly.  Charters  were  granted  to 
an  academy,  a  seminary,  an  academy  company,  an  institute,  a  school 
1123  R  i 3  33 


34  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

society,  a  collegiate  institute,  and  a  school  association.  Such  were  some 
of  the  institutions  which  made  application  for  charters,  as  they  appear 
on  the  records  of  the  assembly.  Some  advanced  no  farther  than  the 
charter;  others  made  a  creditable  beginning;  while  a  few  existed  for 
such  a  period  that  a  more  detailed  account  is  fitting.  There  was  only 
one  college  in  the  State — Rhode  Island  College.  While  there  were  all 
grades  in  the  schools  and  academies,  yet  each  was  a  center  of  educa- 
tion which  fulfilled  the  demands  of  that  locality.  At  Wickford  in  the 
days  of  commercial  activity  there  was  a  demand  for  instruction  in 
navigation,  and  that  was  taught  at  the  academy.  /If  it  appears  that 
their  teaching  was  very  rudimentary,  these  academies  should  not  be 
despised,  j  Their  existence  showed  that  the  community  felt  the  need  of 
educational  advantages,  and  some  of  them  developed  into  institutions 
affording  opportunity  for  the  student  to  pursue  studies  taught  in  the 
freshman  class  of  our  colleges.  (A  great  amount  of  good  was  accom- 
plished by  the  moral  influence  of  these  schools  through  the  strong 
personality  exerted  by  the  teachers.  ^Th  ere  were  not  many  aids  to 
the  student  and  the  text-books  were  limited  in  variety,  so  that  an  edu- 
cation was  attained  only  by  hard  work.  The  teacher  had  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  his  subject  and  could  exert  his  influence  for  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  scholar. 

In  a  history  of  education  every  institution  of  learning  has  its  value, 
but  the  institutions  of  higher  education  will  be  especially  described  in 
this  monograph. 

UNIVERSITY   GRAMMAR   SCHOOL. 

The  University  Grammar  School  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  germ  of 
the  college.  It  was  opened  by  Manning  in  the  spring  previous  to  the 
first  meeting  of  the  college  corporation  in  Warren  in  1764.  It  was  a 
Latin  school  under  his  charge,  and  it  was  his  purpose  to  make  the 
school  serve  as  the  basis  for  collegiate  instruction.  In  1770  the  school 
was  removed  to  Providence  and  held  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  brick 
schoolhouse.  In  1772,  at  the  completion  of  University  Hall,  the  school 
was  placed  in  one  of  the  rooms.  No  early  records  of  the  school  had 
been  kept,  and  all  the  notices  of  the  school  are  supplied  by  the  news- 
papers. The  following  is  the  first  notice  in  the  local  paper  for  1772: 

Whereas  several  gentlemen  have  requested  me  to  take  and  educate  their  sons,  this 
may  inform  them,  and  others  disposed  to  put  their  "children  under  my  care,  that 
the  Latin  school  is  now  removed  and  set  up  in  the  college  edifice,  where  proper 
attention  shall  be  given,  by  a  master  duly  qualified,  and  those  found  to  be  the  most 
effectual  methods  to  obtain  a  competent  knowledge  of  grammar  steadily  pursued. 
At  the  same  time  spelling,  reading,  and  speaking  English  with  propriety  will  be 
particularly  atteuded  to.  Any  who  choose  their  sons  should  board  in  commons  may 
be  accommodated  at  the  same  rate  with  the  students,  six  shillings  per  week  being 
the  price.  And  I  flatter  myself  that  such  attention  will  be  paid  to  their  learning 
and  morals  as  will  entirely  satisfy  all  who  send  their  children.  All  books  for  the 
school,  as  well  as  the  classical  authors  read  in  college,  may  be  had.  at  the  lowest 
rate,  of  the  subscriber. 

JAMES  MANNING- 
PROVIDENCE,  July  10,  1772. 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          35 

The  early  accounts  of  the  school  are  meager,  but  M aiming  wrote  to 
a  friend  in  1773  that  the  Latin  school  under  his  care  had  about  20 
boys.  The  next  public  notice  of  the  school  appeared  in  the  Gazette  of 
1776: 

A  grammar  school  was  opened  in  the  schoolroom  within  the  college  edifice  on 
Monday,  the  llth  instant,  in  which  the  same  mode  of  teaching  the  learned  languages 
is  pursued  which  has  given  such  great  satisfaction  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  town. 
The  scholars  are  also  instructed  in  spelling,  reading,  and  speaking  the  English  lan- 
guage with  propriety,  as  well  as  in  writing  and  arithmetic,  such  part  of  their  time 
as  their  parents  or  guardians  direct. 

COLLEGE  LIBRARY,  March  22,  1776. 

Iii  1786  the  school  was  removed  to  the  brick  schoolhouse  and  was  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Wilkinson  till  1792.  He  was  considered  a  successful 
teacher.  His  advertisement  states  the  object  of  the  school  and  the 
price  of  tuition: 

William  Wilkinson  informs  the  public  that,  by  the  advice  of  the  school  commit- 
tee, he  proposes  removing  his  school  from  the  college  edifice  on  Monday  next  to  the 
brick  schoolhouse;  and,  sensible  of  the  many  advantages  resulting  from  a  proper 
method  of  instruction  in  the  English  language,  he  has,  by  the  committee's  approba- 
tion, associated  with  him  Mr.  Asa  Learned  as  an  English  instructor.  Those  gentle- 
men and  ladies  who  may  wish  to  employ  them  in  the  several  branches  of  the  Greek, 
Latin,  and  English  languages  taught  grammatically,  arithmetic,  and  writing  may 
depend  on  the  utmost  attention  being  paid  to  their  children.  Greek  and  Latin  at 
24  shillings  per  quarter;  English  at  16  shillings. 

WILKINSON  AND  LEARNED. 

PROVIDENCE,  October  20,  1786. 

From  1786  till  1794  the  school  seems  to  have  been  independent  of 
the  college.  In  1794  the  corporation  voted  to  secure  the  school 
again  : 

Voted,  That  the  president  use  his  influence  and  endeavor  to  establish  a  grammar 
school  in  this  town  as  an  appendage  to  this  college,  to  be  under  the  immediate  visi- 
tation of  the  president  and  the  general  inspection  of  the  town's  school  committee, 
and  that  the  president  also  procure  a  suitable  master  for  such  school. 

The  school  was  again  opened,  and  the  next  notice  appears  in  1809 : 

Voted,  That  a  suitable  building  in  which  to  keep  a  grammar  school  be  erected  on 
the  college  lands,  provided  a  sum  sufficient  to  defray  the  expense  of  erecting  said 
building  can  be  raised  by  subscription ;  that  said  school  be  under  the  management 
and  control  of  the  president  of  the  college,  and  that  Thomas  P.  Ives,  Moses  Lippitt, 
and  Thomas  Lloyd  Halsey,  esqs.,  be  a  committee  to  raise  said  sum  and  cause  said 
building  to  be  erected,  and  that  they  erect  the  same  on  the  west  line  of  the  steward's 
garden. 

Voted,  That  the  president  be  authorized  to  procure  a  master  to  teach  the  grammar 
school  ordered  at  this  meeting,  and  that  if  a  sufficient  sum  be  not  raised  from  the 
scholars  to  pay  the  salary  of  the  master  the  deficiency  be  paid  out  of  the  funds  of 
this  University. 

Accordingly  subscriptions  were  solicited  and  the  sum  of  about  $1,500 
secured.  This  money  was  raised  chiefly  among  the  citizens  of  the 
town.  The  building  was  erected  on  the  corner  opposite  the  president's 
house.  An  early  catalogue  mentions  an  instructor  for  1824,  but  from 


36  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

this  time  it  is  uncertain  whether  or  not  the  school  was  continued 
without  interruption. 

In  1845  Merrick  Lyon  assumed  the  charge  of  the  school,  with  an  asso- 
ciate, Henry  S.  Frieze.  Mr.  Frieze  accepted  a  call  to  the  Latin  pro- 
fessqrship  at  Michigan  University  in  1854,  and  his  place  was  supplied 
by  Emory  Lyon.  The  school  continued  under  theprincipalship  of  Drs. 
Merrick  and  Emory  Lyon  till  the  death  of  the  senior  principal  in  1886. 

Dr.  Merrick  Lyon  had  entire  charge  of  the  classical. department,  and 
this  school  always  had  a  high  reputation  in  the  classics.  Sixty-three 
premiums  offered  by  the  president  of  the  University  for  excellence  in 
preparatory  Latin  and  Greek  have  been  taken  by  members  of  this 
school  since  the  present  management  was  assumed  in  1845. 

The  catalogue  for  1851-'52  mentions  the  instructors,  Merrick  Lyon, 
Greek  and  mathematics;  Henry  S.  Frieze,  Latin  and  modern  languages. 
The  school  numbered  103  students. 

In  the  English  department  there  are  classes  in  algebra  and  geometry 
geography,  history,  and  English  grammar.  In  addition  to  the  above 
classes  regular  provision  is  also  made  for  those  who  desire  to  receive 
instruction  in  natural  philosophy,  chemistry,  astronomy,  and  survey- 
ing. There  are  exercises  in  declamation  and  English  composition  once 
a  week.  The  tuition  is  $12.50  per  quarter.  Students  from  abroad  can 
be  boarded  in  the  vicinity  of  the  school  at  rates  varying  from  $2  to 
$3.50  per  week. 

CLASSICAL   DEPARTMENT. 

Four  classes  in  Latin  and  three  in  Greek  are  constantly  in  prepara- 
tion for  college.  Latin  is  begun  with  great  advantage  by  the  youngest 
members  of  the  school  in  connection  with  the  elementary  course. 
The  Latin  classes  are  daily  exercised  in  the  Latin  grammar  or  Latin 
prose  composition,  while  pursuing  the  study  of  the  Latin  reader,  and 
of  Ca3sar,  Sallust,  .Virgil  and  Cicero's  select  orations. 

The  study  of  the  Greek  language  commences  one  year  after  that  of 
Latin.  The  course  of  reading  consists  of  the  Greek  reader  and  selec- 
tions from  Xenophon,  which  are  accompanied  by  daily  exercises  in  the 
Greek  grammar  or  Greek  prose  composition. 

Ancient  history  and  geography  and  the  Greek  and  lioinan  mythol 
ogy  and  antiquities  are  studied  in  connection  with  the  classical  depart- 
ment. 

The  summary  in  the  catalogue  for  1852-'53  shows : 

Scholars  iii  attendance 119 

Past  members  of  the  school 235 

Students  from  this  school  admitted  to  Brown  University  and  other  colleges 82 

The  summary  for  the  year  1871-'72  gives  the  following: 

Teachers 18 

Students  1871-772 90 

Students  1845-'70  . .  -  837 


ACADEMIES    AND    PREPARATORY    SCHOOLS.  37 

That  year  there  were  representatives  from  Rhode  Island,  Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut,  New  Jersey,  Japan,  and  Burmah.  In  a  resume  of 
the  students  from  1845  to  1852  there  are  representatives  from  Massa- 
chusetts, Connecticut,  New  York,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Georgia,  Vermont, 
New  Hampshire,  California,  North  Carolina,  New  Jersey,  Illinois,  Mary- 
land, Alabama,  Tennessee,  Maine,  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  Cuba,  Wiir- 
temburg,  Italy  and  China. 


COURSE    OF    STUDY. 

In  1871  the  course  of  study  was  more  elaborate.  The  tuition  for  that 
year  was  $120  for  the  older  students. 

The  course  of  study  in  the  English  and  classical  department  is  given 
below.  There  is  also  a  preparatory  department. 

ENGLISH    DEPARTMENT. 

First  year. — Bradbury's  Eaton's  Practical  Arithmetic,  Greene's  Introduction  to 
English  Grammar,  geography  completed,  written  exercises  in  spelling  and  English 
grammar  through  the  course,  Swinton's  Outlines  of  History,  French,  Monroe's 
Fifth  Reader,  spelling  continued,  writing  continued. 

Second  year. — Arithmetic  completed,  Wentworth's  Elements  of  Algebra,  Greene's 
English  Grammar,  Warren's  Physical  Geography,  ancient  and  modern  history, 
Cooley's  Natural  Philosophy,  French,  reading,  spelling  continued,  writing  con- 
tinued. 

Third  year.—  Went  worth's  Geometry,  Hutchison's  Physiology,  Collier's  English 
Literature,  Wayland's  Intellectual  Philosophy,  Hart's  Rhetoric,  French. 

Fourth  year. — Davies's  Legendre's  Trigonometry,  Remsen's  Chemistry,  English 
literature  continued,  Waylaud's  Moral  Philosophy,  bookkeeping  continued,  Andrews's 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  Lockyer's  Astronomy,  geology,  French,  book- 
keeping. 

CLASSICAL   DEPARTMENT. 

First  year. — Harkness's  First  Year  in  Latin,  Harkuess's  Latin  Grammar,  through 
the  course,  Harkness's  Caesar  commenced. 

Second  year. — Harkness's  First  Greek  Book,  Hadley's  Greek  Grammar,  through 
the  course,  Boise's  Xeuophon's  Anabasis  commenced,  Ctesar  continued,  Chase  and 
Stuart's  Nepos,  or  Harkness's  Sallust's  Catiline,  Latin  composition  commenced,  read- 
ing at  sight,  ancient  geography. 

Third  year. — Xenophon's  Anabasis  continued,  Greek  prose  composition  commenced, 
reading  at  sight,  Harkness's  Cicero's  Orations,  Latin  composition  continued,  read- 
ing at  sight,  a  review  of  the  studies  of  the  second  and  third  years. 

Fourth  year. — Anabasis  completed.  Boise's  Homer's  Iliad.  Greek  composition  con- 
tinued: Reading  at  sight.  Frieze's  Virgil's  ^Eneid,  Lincoln's  Ovid,  or  Chase  and 
Stuart's  Bucolics  and  Georgics.  Harkness's  Latin  Composition  completed  to  Part 
III:  Reading  at  sight.  Baird's  Mythology.  History  of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome. 
A  review  of  the  studies  of  the  year. 

The  above  courses  of  study  include  all  that  is  usually  required  for  admission  to 
college  in  our  country. 

Familiar  lectures  on  the  topography,  temples,  and  principal  objects  of  interest  in, 
and  near  Rome  and  Athens. 

Students  pursuing  the  classical  course  continue  their  English  studies  in  the  gram- 
mar and  high  school  departments. 

Weekly  exercises  in  composition  and  declamation  are  required. 


38  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION   IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

The  graduates  of  this  school  are  admitted  to  Brown  University  by  certificate  with- 
out examination. 

The  school  now  is  in  charge  of  Dr.  Emory  Lyon  and  Edward  A.  Swain  (Brown, 
1882),  assisted  by  Herbert  A,  Rice  (Brown,  1889). 

The  effect  of  a  well-organized  literary  society  when  supported  by  the 
students  is  a  good  complement  to  the  routine  of  school  work ;  at  the 
University  Grammar  School  in  1854  the  Hope  Debating  Society  was 
organized.  The  motto  ^f  the  society  was  Semper  suryamus.  Its  object 
was  expressed  in  the  following  preamble :  "  We,  the  undersigned,  desir- 
ous to  secure  to  ourselves  the  advantages  of  a  practical  education 
resolve  for  the  attainment  of  this  object  to  form  an  association  and 
adopt  a  Constitution." 

The  regular  meeting  was  to  be  held  each  Friday  evening.  The  com- 
mittee framing  the  constitution  were  Elisha  S.  Thomas,  Arnold  Greene, 
Robert  I.  Goddard.  The  active  membership  included  17  of  the  stu- 
dents and  the  honorary  membership  included  the  faculty  of  the  school, 
at  that  time  three  in  number. 

A  second  society  called  the  u  What  Cheer  Lyceum,"  was  organized 
December  27,  1856.  This  society  chose  for  its  motto  Patientia  et 
perseverantia  omnia  vincunt.  Their  preamble  was  the  same  as  that 
of  the  Hope  Debating  Society.  The  board  of  officers  were  Thomas 
T.  Oaswell,  president;  Orville  A.  Barker,  vice-president;  G.  Lyinan 
Dwight,  secretary;  James  Shimmiu,  treasurer;  John  H.  Stiness,  Rich- 
ard Waterman,  2d,  Henry  Pearce,  prudential  committee.  The  gen- 
eral management  of  this  society  was  very  similar  to  its  predecessor. 

MERRICK    LYON. 

From  personal  recollections  as  a  student  I  can  say  that  he  was  a 
genial  man  and  of  a  kindly  disposition.  He  had  a  merry  twinkle  in 
his  eye,  and  those  eyes  would  shine  when  a  student  gave  some  rule  in 
prosody  of  particularly  exceptional  value,  or  a  long  list  of  special 
words  to  be  used  in  some  particular  way.  When  a  student  would  hesi- 
tate on  the  future  of  some  Greek  verb,  he  would  often  suggest  "Dont- 
knowsomai?"  On  another  occasion,  a  student  in  his  translation  had 
taken  decided  liberty  with  the  text.  Dr.  Lyon  laid  down  his  book, 
and  looking  at  the  class,  said : 

This  morning  as  I  was  coming  to  school,  one  of  my  friends  asked  me  if  it  was  not 
very  monotonous  hearing  the  same  translation  over  and  over  again.  "  By  no  means," 
I  said,  "I  never  hear  the  same  translation  twice."  The  next  may  translate  that  pas- 
sage. 

He  knew  Greek  and  Latin,  and  if  the  student  did  not  it  was  his 
own  fault,  because  the  instruction  was  imparted  well  and  patiently. 

Dr.  Lyon  received  his  preparation  for  college  in  Worcester,  at  the 
Hopkins  Academy.  He  was  graduated  from  Brown  University  in  the 
class  of  1841.  His  life  work  was  teaching,  and  he  taught  in  Providence. 
In  1845  he  was  principal  of  the  University  Grammar  School.  He  was 


ACADEMIES    AND    PREPARATORY    SCHOOLS.  39 

a  fellow  aiid  a  trustee  of  Brown,  filling  tlie  vacancy  in  the  latter  posi- 
tion occasioned  by  the  death  of  President  Caswell.  He  held  offices  of 
public  trust,  but  was  especially  interested  in  education,  serving  for 
more  than  thirty  years  on  the  school  committee  board.  Dr.  Emory 
Lyon  afterwards  took  the  principalship  of  the  school,  and  the  same  gen- 
eral policy  of  the  school  was  maintained.  This  school  is  the  oldest  in 
the  city  of  Providence,  and  still  is  true  to  its  traditions. 

KINGSTON    ACADEMY. 

This  academy,  although  in  its  palmiest  days  occupying  a  higli  grade 
among  the  institutions  of  learning,  and  deserving  a  worthy  place  in 
a  survey  of  secondary  education,  had  an  early  origin,  and  in  the 
early  days  was  lowly.  There  are  facts  in  the  history  of  this  academy 
which  make  it  among  the  most  interesting  of  all.  It  was  situated  in 
South  Kingston,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  From  1819  till 
1832,  among  the  list  of  students,  in  addition  to  representatives  from 
Rhode  Island,  Massachusetts,  South  Carolina,  Connecticut,  Louisiana, 
and  North  Carolina,  are  boys  from  Fayal,  Azores,  West  Indies,  Matan- 
zas,  and  Minorca  in  the  Mediterranean.  The  fact  of  these  students 
from  other  States  and  other  countries  coming  to  this  academy  will 
furnish  an  interesting  link  between  the  commercial  and  educational 
interests  of  the  State,  and  will  afford  opportunity  for  speculation.  The 
genesis  of  this  academy  extends  back  to  the  year  1695. 

1695.  Samuel  Sewal,  esq.,  of  Boston,  for  the  consideration  of  a  nominal  sum,  and 
for  the  encouragement  of  literature  and  good  education  and  the  maintenance  of  a 
learned,  sober,  and  orthodox  schoolmaster,  conveyed  50  acres  of  land  in  Pettaquam- 
scut,  in  special  trust,  to  John  Walley,  for  the  procuring,  settling,  supporting,  and 
maintaining  a  learned,  sober,  and  orthodox  person  from  time  to  time,  and  at  all 
times  forever  hereafter,  to  instruct  the  children  and  youths  of  the  above-mentioned 
town  of  Pettaquamscut,  as  well  as  English  there  settled,  or  to  be  settled,  as  Indians, 
the  aboriginal  natives  and  proprietors  of  the  place,  to  read  and  write  the  English 
language  and  the  rules  of  grammar. 

This  is  an  account  of  the  origin,  and  some  of  the  language  is  that 
of  the  deed.  As  showing  the  estimate  in  which  a  knowledge  of  gram- 
mar was  held  by  Sewall,  this  statement  at  the  end  of  the  deed  is  inter- 
esting: "  Signed,  sealed,  and  delivered  in  presence  of the  words 

Judith  his  wife,  i  and  in  the  rules  of  grammar,'  being  first  inter- 
lined." 

The  instructor  was  to  be  appointed  by  Samuel  Sewall  and  his  wife 
Hannah,  or  their  survivors,  or  by  the  minister  of  the  Third  Congrega- 
tional Church  in  Boston  and  the  town  treasurer,  or  their  successors. 
In  spite  of  such  a  formidable  appointing  power,  nothing  was  done  till 
1781,  when  a  schoolhouse  was  built  in  Tower  Hill.  Constant  South- 
worth,  Increase  Hewitt,  John  Hazard,  William  Mchols,  Robert  F. 
Noyes,  and  Benjamin  Hill  were  the  schoolmasters  till  1819.  In  that 
year  the  academy  was  moved  to  Kingston.  The  next  change  in  the 
institution  was  one  of  name  only,  when  in  1823  the  academy  was  incor- 


40          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

porated  under  the  name  of  "  Pettiquainscut  Academy."  The  disposi- 
tion of  the  school  lands  will  be  seen  from  the  petition  to  the  assembly 
this  same  year,  1823. 

Whereas  Elisha  R.  Potter,  James  Helme,  Thomas  S.  Taylor,  Robert  F.  Noyes,  and 
other,  inhabitants  within  the  Pettiquamscut  purchase,  in  the  county  of  Washington, 
and  trustees  of  Pettiquamscut  Academy,  have  represented  to  the  assembly  that  on 
the  4th  of  November,  1695,  Samuel  Sewall,  esq.,  and  Hannah  Sewall,  wife  of  said 
Samuel,  late  of  Boston,  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  conveyed  by  their  deed  of  that 
date  500  acres  of  land,  situate  in  said  purchase,  to  John  Walley.  esq.,  of  said  Boston, 
and  his  heirs,  in  trust  for  the  encouragement  of  literature  and  good  education,  and 
the  maintenance  of  a  schoolmaster  within  said  purchase,  to  be  appointed  by  the  said 
Samuel  and  Hannah,  or  the  survivor  of  them,  after  their  decease  by  the  minister  of 
the  Third  Congregational  Church,  in  said  Boston,  and  the  town  treasurer  of  said 
town,  and  their  successors  in  office  forever ;  and  that  said  persons  who  have  the  power 
of  appointing  said  instructor  have  in  like  manner  the  power  of  locating  the  school; 
and  whereas  they  have  represented  to  this  assembly  that  the  trustee,  about  the  year 
1775,  left  the  United  States  and  has  not  to  their  knowledge  returned,  and  from  that 
period  has  wholly  neglected  his  trust;  that  some  time  since  said  minister  and  treas- 
urer located  the  school  at  the  village  of  Little  Rest,  within  said  purchase,  and 
appointed  an  instructor  who  now  exercises  a  superintendence  of  the  school;  and  that 
said  school  is  now  incorporated  by  the  name  of  the  "  Trustees  of  the  Pettiquamscut 
Academy  ;"  and  that  said  Elisha  R.  Potter,  James  Helme,  Thomas  S.  Taylor,  Robert 
F.  Noyes,  and  others  have  prayed  this  assembly  to  authorize  the  sale  of  said  500  acres 
of  land,  the  same  now  being  little  productive,  aud  cause  the  proceeds  of  said  sale  to 
be  vested  in  the  funds  of  the  institution  and  the  interest  thereof  so  applied  as  most 
effectually  to  secure  the  object  of  the  donors. 

The  petition  was  granted,  and  the  trustees  were  authorized  to  sell 
the  500  acres  and  give  a  bond  of  $8,000  to  the  State  treasurer 
that  the  money  arising  from  the  sale  would  be  paid  into  the  school 
funds.  In  1826  the  assembly  was  petitioned  that  the  name  be  changed 
to  Kingston  Academy.  This  was  granted.  From  the  date  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  academy  in  Kingston,  in  1819,  to  the  end  of  the  school 
year  ending  April  26,  1832,  there  had  been  158  students.  The  princi- 
pals had  been  Oliver  Brown,  A.  M.;  Nathaniel  Helme,  A.  M. ;  Alfred 
Gardner;  Hiiimaii  B.  Hoyt,  A.  M.;  William  G.  Hammond,  A.  B.;  Asa 
Potter,  A.  M.,-  William  Cragg,  A.  B. ;  Elisha  Atkins.  A.  B.;  Henry  M. 
Davis;  Christopher  Comstock,  esq.;  William  Gammell,  A.  B. 

The  year  1832  marked  the  beginning  of  the  period  of  greatest  pros- 
perity. For  1832  the  number  of  students  was  88;  1833, 137;  1836, 116; 
1837,  86.  The  last  catalogue  shows  an  attendance  of  78  for  the  year 
ending  1854.  At  the  commencement  of  this  prosperous  condition  of 
the  school  in  1832  Elisha  K.  Potter  was  the  instructor  in  the  classical 
department,  Christopher  Comstock  in  the  English  department,  and 
Joseph  Bray  ton  assistant.  The  catalogue  for  that  same  year  indicates 
the  course  of  study  and  gives  facts  of  general  information  regarding  the 
academy. 

The  school  is  divided  into  two  departments,  a  classical  and  an 
English,  the  exercises  of  which  are  attended  in  separate  rooms.  The 
books  in  the  English  department  are  Murray's  English  Grammar, 


ACADEMIES    AND    PREPARATORY    SCHOOLS.  41 

Olney's  Modern  and  Worcester's  Ancient  Geography,  Daboll  and 
Smith's  Arithmetic,  Bennett's  Bookkeeping,  Colburn  and  La  Croix's 
Algebra,  Bowditch's  Navigation,  Flint's  Surveying,  Legendre's  Geom- 
etry, Comstock's  Natural  Philosophy  and  Chemistry,  Wilkins'  Astron- 
omy, Blair's  Bhetoric,  and  Paley's  Moral  Philosophy. 

In  the  classical  department  are  used  Adams'  Latin  Grammar  (Gould's 
edition)  and  Goodrich's  Greek  Grammar,  Latin  Eeader,  Historia  Sacra, 
Viri  Romse,  Caesar's  Commentaries,  Sallust,  Virgil,  Cicero,  Livy,  Horace, 
Greek  Eeader,  Graeca  Minora,  Greek  Testament,  Graeca  Majora. 

There  are  two  vacations  in  each  year  5  the  first  commences  on  the 
last  Thursday  in  April, '  the  second  on  the  last  Thursday  in  August. 

The  price  of  tuition  in  English  studies  is  $3,  and  in  Latin  and 
Greek  $5  per  quarter.  The  price  of  board  in  the  family  of  the  English 
instructor,  or  in  other  private  families,  is  $1.50  per  week,  including 
washing.  The  expense,  therefore,  for  a  single  pupil  in  the  English 
studies  is  about  $84 ;  in  the  classical  studies,  about  $91  per  year.  To 
this  is  added  the  costs  of  lights  and  fuel  during  the  winter  term, 
which  amounts  only  to  a  trifling  sum. 

THE  FRIENDS'  SCHOOL. 

The  prominence  of  some  one  man  of  keen  insight  into  the  needs  of 
the  times,  or  some  religious  denomination,  is  identified  with  the  begin- 
nings of  nearly  all  the  institutions  of  education.  On  the  part  of  the 
founders  of  Ehode  Island  colleges  and  academies  we  are  impressed 
with  their  spirituality. 

The  recognition  of  a  divine  dependency  by  no  means  prevented  the 
utmost  exertion  of  their  own  powers.  The  Friends  School  was  an 
institution  planted  by  the  Quakers,  and  the  preceding  remarks  apply 
with  especial  force  to  them.  Breaking  away  from  all  forms  and  cere- 
monies, the  Friends  as  a  denomination  went  to  the  other  extreme,  and 
held  for  their  guidance  the  "inward  light"  and  "  truth."  With  their 
views  on  war,  with  a  devotion  to  what  made  for  the  interests  of  human- 
ity, it  seemed  as  though  among  them  education  would  be  sheltered  and 
fostered. 

What  a  delightful  character  the  Quaker  tradition  imparted  to  everything  that  it 
touched !  A  certain  grave  and  sweet  simplicity,  an  air  of  candor  and  of  plain  recti- 
tude, a  frank  and  fraternal  heartiness — these  were  all  distinctly  Quaker.  They  were 
imitated  to  base  ends  indeed,  and  no  rogue  so  roguish  as  a  counterfeited  Quaker !  No 
stories  of  such  smug  duplicity  as  those  which  were  told  of  the  smooth  knave  in 
dral).  But  it  was  only  the  homage  to  virtue.  Knaves  wore  the  Quaker  garb  because 
the  Quaker  garb  was  justly  identified  with  honesty.  Those  whose  early  youth  was 
identified  with  Friends,  as  with  thorn  and  among  them,  but  not  of  them,  still  delight 
in  the  recollection  and  associate  with  them  still  a  refined  superiority.1 

The  Quaker  idea  of  education  and  the  sentiments  of  our  founder  can 
be  seen  from  the  following  address,  which  was  presented  to  the  yearly 


George  William  Curtis. 


42  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

meeting  by  a  man  who  had  this  institution  close  to  his  heart  and  worked 
for  it  at  all  times: 

If,  therefore,  the  quarterly  meetings  could  promote  a  school  where  boarding 
scholars  might  be  received  and  taught  in  such  a  manner  as  to  qualify  our  youth  of 
the  rising  generation  to  teach  school,  we  think  it  would  beau  acceptable  service. 
It  is  agreed  that,  as  the  school  is  intended  for  the  education,  maintenance,  and  cloth- 
ing of  children  whose  parents  are  not  in  affluence,  that  they  shall  be  instructed  in 
reading,  writing,  and  accompts  as  fully  as  the  time  allowed  them  will  permit.  Some 
useful  employment  may  be  provided  for  the  boys  according  as  their  age,  strength, 
talents,  or  condition  may  require.  Learning  and  labor  properly  intermixed  greatly 
assist  the  ends  of  both,  a  sound  mind  in  a  healthy  body.  The  girls  will  also  be 
instructed  in  knitting,  spinning,  useful  needlework,  and  in  such  domestic  occupa- 
tions as  are  suitable  to  their  sex  and  stations.  I  believe  it  is  the  wish  of  all  con- 
cerned in  this  important  affair  that  by  gentleness,  kind  and  affectionate  treatment, 
holding  out  encouragement  and  approbation  to  the  deserving,  exerting  the  influence 
of  the  fear  of  shame,  and  prompting  the  children  to  every  act  of  kindness  and  benefi- 
cence one  toward  another,  to  bring  forward  into  the  society  and  into  its  service  a 
number  of  youths  who  may  have  been  made  acquainted,  under  such  tuition,  in  degi  ee, 
with  the  discipline  of  wisdom. 

Though  the  improvement  of  the  children  in  learning,  their  health,  and  other 
suitable  accommodations  are  matters  of  great  moment  in  such  an  institution  as 
this,  yet  there  is  one  of  a  superior  nature — to  promote  a  tender,  teachable  disposition, 
inuring  them  to  bear  that  yoke  in  their  youth  which  will  moderate  their  desires 
and  make  way  for  the  softening  influence  of  divine  good  will  in  their  hearts,  fitting 
them  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  every  duty  in  life,  yielding  content  in  affliction, 
moderation  in  prosperity,  becoming  at  once  the  safeguard  and  ornament  of  every 
stage  in  life  from  youth  to  ripe  old  age. 

The  man  through  whose  exertions  the  school  was  started  and  con- 
tinued was  Moses  Brown.  He  was  born  in  Providence  July  23,  1738. 
The  name  of  Brown  will  ever  be  cherished  in  Rhode  Island  annals,  not 
only  for  what  those  bearing  this  name  did  for  her  in  colonial  days,  but 
also  in  the  present.  He  was  the  youngest  of  four  brothers,  all  of  whom 
contributed  to  the  commercial  and  mercantile  prosperity  of  the  State. 
The  catholicity  of  this  man  is  shown  in  good  words  and  work.  He 
was  instrumental  in  securing  for  New  England  Samuel  Slater, 
who  brought  with  him  Arkwright's  invention.  This  was  to  revolution- 
ize the  cotton  industry,  so  that  to  the  music  of  the  loom  the  walls  of 
many  a  New  England  hamlet  were  firmly  upraised.  Brown  was  the  inti- 
mate friend  of  those  in  authority  in  the  Revolution,  Governor  Hopkins, 
of  Rhode  Island,  and  those  who  were  in  the  field. 

The  first  blood  that  was  shed  in  our  strife  with  the  mother  country  was  in  con- 
nection with  the  capture  of  the  Gaspce.  Here  then  was  "fired  the  shot  that  was 
heard  around  the  world.  "  When  it  was  quite  certain  that  the  persons  who  had  done 
this  thing,  or  were  suspected  of  doing  it,  would  be  sent  to  England  for  trial,  Moses 
Brown's  committee  of  correspondence  applied  to  Samuel  Adams,  of  Boston,  for  advice. 
He  replied  to  their  letter  that  the  occasion  "  should  awaken  the  American  colonies 
and  again  unite  them  in  one  bond."  John  Brown  furnished  the  boats  for  the  attack, 
it  is  said.  Did  his  firm  really  do  it  ?  Did  they  own  the  boats  f  If  so,  then  Moses 
Brown  was  connected  with  it.  Two  members  of  the  firm  were  present— John  and 
Joseph.  John  was  taken  to  Boston  on  suspicion  and  Moses  went  there  and  secured 
his  discharge.  How  and  by  what  means  is  not  known  to  this  day.1 


Moses  Brown,  by  Augustine  Jones. 


ACADEMIES  AMD  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          43 

He  must  have  had  influence  with  the  authorities  to  have  secured 
his  brother's  release,  and  how  he  did  it  would  be  of  great  interest. 
An  incident  occurred  in  1775,  which  illustrates  his  deep  adherence  to 
what  he  considered  his  duty.  He  and  other  friends  were  a  committee 
to  send  provisions  to  the  noncombatants  in  Boston  at  its  seige  by 
Washington.  He  was  refused  by  Washington  and  also  by  the  British 
commander,  but  did  not  desist.  Five  hundred  dollars  were  sent  in 
and  the  committee,  entering  the  city  by  boats,  took  in  food.  This 
committee  was  merged  into  the  "  meeting  for  sufferings."  Before 
this  meeting  were  brought  any  cases  needing  help.  It  was  before 
this  meeting  that  the  necessity  of  a  school  was  presented  by  Brown  in 
1780. 

As  a  philanthropist  he  liberated  all  His  slaves  in  1773,  and  as  a  patriot 
he  was  intrusted  with  a  settlement  of  the  boundary  question  and  was 
instrumental  in  securing  the  emancipation  act  in  Rhode  Island  in  1784. 
Of  chief  interest  in  the  consideration  of  his  character  are  his  relations 
to  matters  of  education.  While  known  for  his  public  and  private  rela- 
tions to  commerce,  industry,  and  public  utility,  yet  his  chief  memorial 
will  be  the  Friends'  School.  In  the  year  1764  he  was  chosen  to  the 
assembly  and  did  what  he  could  to  secure  a  charter  for  Rhode  Island 
College.  He  was  also  instrumental,  in  connection  with  Governor  Hop- 
kins, in  securing  the  location  of  the  college  in  Providence.  He  gave 
the  college  a  donation  of  books  and  $1,000. 

He  was  never  a  member  of  the  corporation,  although  elected  a  trustee  and  repeat- 
edly urged  by  his  associates  to  accept  the  position.  In  1774,  at  the  age  of  36,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  Withdrawing  at  this  time  from  the 
bustle  of  commerce  and  trade,  he  sought  that  retirement  whicli  was  more  congenial 
to  his  early  formed  taste  for  intellectual  pursuits.  Here,  on  his  beautiful  estate  in 
the  environs  of  Providence,  in  rural  quiet  and  simplicity,  he  spent  a  long  and  use- 
ful life,  aiding  by  his  judicious  counsels  and  abundant  wealth  in  the  promotion  of 
intelligence,  piety,  and  freedom  among  men.1 

His  assistance  henceforth  to  educational  movements  is  nearly 
absorbed  by  his  interest  in  his  school,  so  that  the  account  of  what  he 
did  for  education  and  the  history  of  the  school  are  nearly  identical. 
In  1780  a  subscription  was  started  for  a  school  and  his  contribution 
was  $575.  The  work  seemed  to  progress  slowly  and  in  1782,  at  the 
u meeting  for  sufferings,"  the  address  before  mentioned  was  composed 
by  him  and  signed  as  clerk.  The  points  touched  upon  in  this  address 
were  that  the  Friends  should  provide  their  own  teachers,  for  there  was 
great  difficulty  in  securing  them ;  that  their  own  scholars  might  be  kept 
separate,  in  order  that  they  might  be  educated  in  the  Quaker  belief; 
that  one  school  was  better  than  several,  and  that  the  expense  would 
be  less  at  a  school  where  the  pupils  might  board. 

OPKN1NG    OF    THE    SCHOOL. 

The  school  opened  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  where  it  existed  for  a  period 
of  four  years.  The  teacher  was  Isaac  Lowton.  The  school  house  was 

'R.  A.  Guild. 


44  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

a  building  that  was  also  used  for  a  meeting  house.  It  was  two 
stories  high  and  very  plain.  Isaac  Lowton  was  an  eminent  and  elo- 
quent minister;  his  figure  was  short  and  lithe;  his  manners  polite  and 
affable,  and  his  conversation  intelligent  and  agreeable.  His  education 
was  a  good  one  for  that  day,  and  as  lie  was  fond  of  reading  and  had  a 
goocl  memory  his  store  of  knowledge  was  constantly  increasing. 
His  favorite  authors  were  Young  and  Milton,  and  his  sermons  were 
often  embellished  with  quotations  from  them. 

In  a  set  of  rules  and  regulations  for  the  observance  of  the  teacher 
and  scholars  by  "  the  meeting  for  sufferings"  they  say: 

Besides  the  necessary  literary  instruction  the  children  are  to  be  taught  habits 
of  regularity,  of  decency,  of  respectful  subordination  to  superiors,  of  forbearance, 
affection,  and  kindness  to  each  other,  and  of  religious  reverence  to  their  maker  and 
those  habits  of  silence  and  recollection  taught  and  practiced  in  the  ancient  schools 
and  inculcated  in  the  holy  Scriptures. 

The  school  was  discontinued,  through  lack  of  funds.  The 
closing  of  the  school  was  a  great  blow  to  Moses  Brown,  and  the 
small  school  fund  in  his  possession  was  scrupulously  guarded  and 
increased  till  the  school  was  again  opened  in  1819,  when  it  had 
amounted  to  $9,300.  He  also  kept  the  matter  before  the  society.  In 
1814  he  offered  to  the  school  a  lot  of  43  acres  in  Providence,  and  a  sum 
of  money,  which,  with  all  that  had  been  accumulating  from  the 
old  fund,  amounted  to  $20,000.  In  1816  he  conveyed  the  land  to  the 
trustees  of  the  school,  and  buildings  were  erected,  so  that  the  school 
was  again  opened  in  1819. 

LETTER    WITH    GIFT    OK    LAND. 

The  following  letter,  accompanying  the  gift  of  land,  will  show  the 

interest  of  the  donor : 

PROVIDENCE  4TH  OF  5TH  Mo.,  1814. 
To  the  Meeting  for  Sufferings: 

DEAR  FRIENDS  :  As  my  feeble  state  of  health  prevents  my  attending  the  Meeting 
at  this  time,  I  thought  best  to  inform  you  that  in  the  course  of  my  confinement  by 
bodily  indisposition  for  some  time  past,  the  subject  of  the  Yearly  Meeting's  School 
has  been  renewedly  brought  under  my  consideration.  And  believing  that  a  perma- 
nent institution  for  a  guarded  education  of  the  rising  generation  will  be  promotive 
of  their  usefulness  in  society  and  the  honor  of  truth,  I  have,  for  the  furtherance  of 
these  desirable  objects,  concluded  to  give  a  tract  of  land  on  the  west  part  of  my 
homestead  farm,  containing  about  forty-three  acres,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
suitable  buildings  for  the  Boarding  School  thereon;  provided  the  Meeting  should 
consider  it  an  eligible  situation,  and  conclude  to  carry  into  effect  the  establishment 
of  the  benevolent  institution  thereon.  If  the  Meeting  should  appoint  a  committee 
to  view  the  ground,  consider  of  the  proposal  and  report  their  prospect  to  the  next 
Meeting  for  Sufferings,  which  may  be  more  generally  attended,  they  can  then  act 
upon  it,  as  it  shall  appear  to  them  best.  You  will  however  dispose  of  the  proposal 
in  this  or  any  other  way  that  appears  to  you  best.  As  treasurer  of  the  School 
Fund,  I  may  for  your  information  mention,  that  its  present  amount  is  about  nine 
thousand  three  hundred  dollars. 

With  desires  that  this  important  subject  may  be  considered,  and  proceeded  in,  in 
conformity  to  the  mind  of  Truth,  that  we  may  hope  for  its  blessing, 
I  conclude,  your  affectionate  friend 

MOSES  BROWN. 


ACADEMIES    AND    PREPARATORY    SCHOOLS.  45 

Iii  addition  to  this  gift,  lie  gave  annually  $100  to  educate  poor  children, 
another  lot  of  land,  and  $15,000  by  legacy. 

In  1822,  his  son  Obadiah  gave  the  school  $100,000.  Two  interesting 
facts  in  connection  with  tliis  bequest  are  mentioned.  This  is  said  to 
be  the  largest  sum  of  money  which  any  institution  of  learning  in  the 
United  States  up  to  this  time  had  received,  and  this  money  was  made 
by  the  manufacture  of  cotton,  for  which  industry  the  father  had  done 
so  much  in  connection  with  Slater. 

Moses  Brown  died  in  1836,  99  years  of  age.  The  last  seventeen  years 
of  his  life  witnessed  the  successful  operation  of  the  school  which  was 
so  dear  to  him.  a  No  monument  marks  the  humble  grave  of  Moses 
Brown;  but  his  life  work  is  his  monument,  and  it  rests  upon  four 
foundations:  Manufacturing  industry,  patriotism,  education,  and  phi- 
lanthropy." 

EARLY    SCHOOL   DAYS. 

In  1818,  when  the  new  buildings  were  nearly  completed,  it  was  feared 
that  no  suitable  teachers  could  be  obtained,  for  there  did  not  appear  to 
be  any  from  the  Yearly  Meeting  who  were  competent.  Two  young  girls 
from  Nantucket,  Mary  Mitchell  and  Dorcas  Gardner,  leaving  pleasant 
homes,  gratuitously  gave  their  services,  and  entered  upon  their  duties 
before  either  of  the  other  teachers  arrived.  From  letters  which  had 
been  presented  by  Mary  Mitchell,  an  idea  of  the  school  then  may  be 
gathered.  They  left  Nan  tucket  in  a  small  sloop,  December  30, 1818,  via 
New  Bedford,  for  Providence.  One  day's  sail  brought  them  to  New 
Bedford,  and  one  day's  ride  in  an  extra  stage  brought  them,  late  in  the 
evening,  to  Moses  Brown's  door. 

Our  driver  was  not  acquainted  with  the  road ;  we  had  been  detained  by  his  repeated 
calls  at  houses  to  inquire  the  way;  our  horses  were  tired  and  we  all  longed,  when  we 
stopped  at  Moses  Brown's  door,  to  sojourn  with  him  for  the  night.  Robert  Bray  ton 
alighted  and  rapped.  We  could  not  hear  what  he  stated,  but  our  aged  friend  came 
out  and  said:  ''Wouldn't  the  young  women  better  alight?  I  should  be  glad  to  have 
them  stay  the  night."  Tired  and  dispirited  as  we  were,  he  seemed  like  a  good  old 
patriarch,  and  we  promptly  accepted  his  kind  invitation.  He  asked  us  to  call  for 
whatever  we  wanted,  freely  as  we  would  at  home.  "  A  cup  of  tea,"  we  said,  "  would 
be  refreshing."  Whatever  the  misgivings  of  these  young  assistants  might  be  with 
regard  to  their  qualifications  to  teach,  they  sheltered  themselves  under  the  humble 
name  of  auxiliaries;  and  young  and  sanguine,  presumed  to  present  themselves  to 
the  scrutinizing  eye  of  Moses  Brown.  When  subsequently  asked  what  he  thought  of 
the  dress  of  these  young  women,  he  said  he  saw  nothing  to  object  to,  but  the  nunibei 
of  little  combs  they  wore  in  their  hair. 

1st  mo.,  1st,  1819 :  Proceeded  to  the  school.     All  is  confusion. 

1st  mo.,  4th:  Girls' schoolroom.  As  neither  books  nor  stationery  were  purchased, 
it  was  thought  best  to  defer  the  opening  of  school  until  the  following  second  day 
of  the  week. 

Afternoon :  School  over,  and  such  a  school !  At  night  we  were  conducted  to  the 
large  vaulted  lodging  room ;  there  were  not  many  beds,  as  the  bedsteads  are  to  be 
corded  when  they  are  needed.  Sheets  unwashed,  just  as  they  came  from  the  hands 
of  those  that  made  them  at  the  sewing  bee  at  Nantucket.  No  Thomas  Howland,  no 
Deborah  Hill;  there  can  not  be  a  regular  school  till  the  arrival  of  these  teachers. 


46  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

The  red  table.  Second  day,  morning.  A  kind  of  school.  We  request  nnd  the 
books  come.  The  Browns  and  Almys  buy  whatever  we  ask  for,  except  a  carpet 
and  a  telescope;  two  luxuries  we  wish  the  good  people  of  Nautucket  would  furnish. 
Moses  Brown  brings  us  whatever  he  can  spare  from  his  "  garden  stores." 

3d  day:  Our  two  superintendents,  two  male  teachers,  three  females,  7  girls  and 
SJboys,  all  went  into  the  basement  story,  sat  and  ate  at  a  long  red  painted  table. 

1st  mo.,  19th:  Can  not  some  of  the  industrious  housewives  of  Nantucket  spin  the 
institution  a  carpet?  No  matter  what  the  figure,  or  stars  or  stripes!  None  of  our 
floors  are  painted;  none  of  the  walls  whitewashed;  the  ceiling  is  very  high;  it  is  a 
noble  building.  All  it  needs  is  to  be  finished.  Dr.  R.  Green  says:  " Invite  t.,e 
children  to  eat  brown  bread;  white  bread,  as  constant  food,  is  so  prejudicial  to 
health."  So  we  have  plates  of  each  kind  on  the  table.  Milk  we  are  supplied  with  l>y 
a  person  who  offered  to  bring  the  school  as  much  as  it  needed.  We  have  no  cows  as 
yet.  No  coffee  is  drunk,  shells  and  Souchong  tea  are  the  substitutes.  The  girls  do 
well.  The  branches  taught  are  grammar,  reading,  writrng,  arithmetic,  and  geogra- 
phy. 

2d  mo.,  4th:  We  have  39  scholars.  They  arrive  daily.  Our  task  becomes  greater 
and  greater . 

2<1  mo.  ,10th:  GOscholars.  We  rise  before  the  sun;  collect  in  the  boys' schoolroom  for 
ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  until  the  breakfast  bell  rings ;  then  go  down  into  the  boys' 
dining  room,  in  which  are  two  tables — one  for  boys  and  one  for  girls.  The  morn- 
ing-school holds  till  12;  then  comes  dinner.  Afternoon  school,  from  2  till  half  past  four; 
half  an  hour  remains  till  tea  time,  just  long  enough  for  a  short  rest  of  our  limbs  by 
sitting,  as  we  stand  much  of  the  time.  After  tea  comes  the  school  for  grammar, 
until  half  past  seven.  At  eight  the  little  girls  go  to  bed;  larger  ones  at  nine. 

2d  mo.,  22d:  How  were  all  these  boys  to  be  governed?  By  what  authority 
restrained?  Some  were  bold,  some  adventurous,  some  resistant  of  rule.  The  insti- 
tution afforded  no  precedents,  therefore  the  teachers  could  quote  none.  There  had 
never  been  within  these  walls  a  court  of  decision  or  appeal.  Rules  from  the  Nine 
Partners'  Boarding  School  were  suggested.  "  Not  so,"  said  the  younger  teacher, 
"would  you  anticipate  offences  by  introducing  into  this  infant  institution,  as 
yet  without  record  of  omission  or  commission,  the  rules  of  an  old  time-worn  estab- 
lishment in  which  the  rebellious  and  untoward  have  had  to  meet  their  reward?  It 
is  not  politic,  nor  is  it  Christian — where  there  is  no  law  there  is  no  transgression." 
The  older  teacher  assented  to  the  beauty  of  the  theory,  but  he  did  not  feel  sure  it  would 
serve  long  in  practice.  They  concluded,  however,  if  offences  did  come  they  would 
endeavor  to  call  the  attention  of  the  culprit  not  to  any  code  of  human  law,  but  to  the 
dictates  of  that  Divine  law  which  everyone  carried  in  his  own  breast.  A  consequence 
of  their  experiment  was  long  and  private  interviews  between  teachers  and  pupils, 
during  which  expostulation  and  mild  rebuke  were  patiently  tried. 

3d  mo.  8th:  Our  visitors,  who  increase  daily,  often  find  substantial  meals  at  tea 
time.  Our  long  red  tables,  full  of  large  white  bowls,  iron  spoons,  pitchers  of  milk, 
and  pitcher£  of  molasses,  and  a  large  tin  bread  pan  full  of  hulled  corn.  We  have 
no  talking  at  these  long  red  tables,  except  when  such  friends  as  Samuel  Rodman  or 
James  Robinson  come. 

6th  mo. :  It  was  found  that  the  children  were  sending  money  to  town  for  books. 
They  bought  an  elementary  work  on  botany. 

The  early  spring  had  brought  forth  within  the  uncultivated  grounds  of  the  school 
many  a  little  wild  flower,  which  induced  one  of  the  assistants  to  suggest  to  those 
under  her  tuition  botanical  analyses  of  them.  "  Botany  ! "  exclaimed  Moses  Brown, 
"  why,  surely,  all  knowledge  is  useful.  Let  them  buy  the  books." 

These  extracts  will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  animus  of  the  school  and 
of  the  life  and  discipline.  At  the  reopening  in  1819  there  were  11 
scholars,  but  the  number  increased  largely  before  the  close  of  the  year. 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          47 

Among  the  interesting  reminiscences  of  the  school  is  a  personal  let- 
ter from  O.  B.  Had  wen,  of  Worcester.  The  occasion  was  the  visit  of 
President  Jackson  and  his  escort  to  the  school.  The  President  and 
escort  entered  the  boys'  schoolroom  from  the  main  building.  During 
the  visit  the  boys  were  requested  to  rise  and  remain  standing.  The 
President  and  party  walked  through  the  room,  bowing  frequently.  In 
returning  and  passing  the  teacher's  desk,  Lewis  Cass,  then  Secretary 
of  War,  and  wearing  his  sword,  made  a  military  salute.  This  display 
of  a  martial  weapon  and  its  noise  when  thrust  into  the  scabbard  made 
a  profound  impression  on  these  boys,  removed  from  all  scenes  and 
knowledge  of  war. 

The  grade  of  instruction  is  such  as  to  fit  students  for  any  of  our 
colleges,  or  to  broaden  their  education  if  they  do  not  enter  college. 
Instruction  is  given  on  all  the  subjects,  except  international  law,  that 
are  taught  in  Brown  University.  In  some  cases  students  from  this 
school  have  entered  the  sophomore  class  at  Brown.  From  1869  to  1881 
Prof.  J.  Lewis  Diman  lectured  on  history,  and  Prof.  J.  W.  P.  Jenks  on 
natural  history.  Instruction  in  the  modern  languages  is  given,  and 
a  very  high  grade  is  maintained  in  this  department.  In  general,  it 
may  be  stated  that  the  studies  required  for  admission  to  modern  col- 
leges are  here  taught,  and  are  carried  to  about  the  equivalent  of  the 
freshman  year  in  these  colleges.  In  order  for  a  student  to  pass  in  his 
examinations  a  standard  of  90  per  cent  is  required,  and  students  are 
admitted  to  colleges  upon  certificate. 

For  the  twelve  years  preceding  1883  the  average  number  of  pupils 
was  205,  the  percentage  of  Friends  being  but  37J.  The  membership 
in  1889  was  261,  including  representatives  from  eighteen  of  our 
States  and  of  all  religious  denominations.  The  percentage  of  Friends 
was  26;  of  the  instructors  one-half  are  Friends. 

PRESENT    STATUS. 

The  present  status  of  the  school  is  progressive ;  the  standard  is  high 
and  in  accord  with  modern  educational  ideas.  Until  within  compara- 
tively recent  years  the  Quaker  ideas  as  to  music  and  art  were  in  vogue, 
but  nearly  ten  years  ago  the  ground  was  taken  by  the  present  principal 
that  instruction  in  music  and  art  were  needful  to  a  well-rounded  educa- 
tion; that  without  tJiese  an  education  could  not  be  liberal.  To-day 
"musical  education  receives  careful  attention  and  instruction  is  given 
by  excellent  teachers  on  the  pianoforte  and  in  singing.  Not  only  is 
the  musical  training  made  subservient  to  education,  but  it  is  the  means 
of  bringing  pupils  in  touch  with  the  people  of  the  city.  Quoting  from 
the  Providence  Journal  of  March,  1889: 

It  is  a  pleasant  custom  for  the  authorities  of  the  Friends'  school  to  give  during 
the  year  at  least  one  evening  with  the  music  of  the  best  authors.  Thereby  not  only 
do  the  young  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the  school  get  a  glimpse  into  the  most  impor- 


48  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION   IN   RHODE    ISLAND. 

taut  branch  of  culture,  but  many  lovers  of  music  without  the  walls  have  the  oppor- 
tunity to  hear  music  of  a  kind  Providence  affords  all  too  little  of.  The  concert  was 
delightful  and  doubly  so,  as  being  the  only  one  of  its  kind  that  the  120,000  or  130,000 
people  of  Providence  will  have  any  opportunity  to  hear  this  season. 

It  has  been  the  practice  to  give  at  least  one  of  such  concerts  each 
seasVm.  The  one  here  referred  to  was  given  by  talent  from  Boston,  and 
not  by  the  students.  In  the  department  of  art  "instruction  is  given 
in  mechanical,  pencil  and  crayon  drawing,  and  painting  in  oil  and 
water  colors.  The  aim  is  to  educate  the  mind  to  the  essential  princi- 
ples of  art  and  to  train  the  eye  and  hand  to  its  successful  practice.'7 
Scattered  through  the  various  rooms  of  the  building,  but  especially  in 
those  rooms  where  the  students  spend  most  of  their  time,  are  paintings 
and  etchings.  The  institution  is  the  fortunate  possessor  of  two  busts 
executed  by  Theed,  of  London;  one  of  John  Bright  and  the  other  of 
Elizabeth  Fry.  Between  these  two  is  hung  a  portrait  of  the  "Quaker 
Poet"  Whittier,  to  whom  this  school  is  dear,  and  whose  name  is  rever- 
ently honored  within  its  walls.  Said  Robert  0.  Winthrop  in  an  address, 
speaking  of  these  two  marble  busts  and  this  portrait: 

Eloquence,  poetry,  and  philanthropy  will  form  an  inspiring  group  for  your 
Scholars  to  have  ever  before  their  eyes,  and  may  lead  them  to  emulate  what  they 
admire. 

So  much  for  the  art  side.  For  industrial  training  during  the  past 
few  years  there  has  been  established  "a  department  in  the  practi- 
cal use  of  tools  in  wood  and  metal  work,  including  wood  carving." 
This  is  optional  and  is  under  a  competent  instructor.  The  display  of 
this  department  at  the  close  of  the  year  1889  was  creditable  and  the 
work  well  done.  One  piece  found  a  ready  sale  at  $100.  Not  only  are 
the  boys  interested  in  this  department,  but  also  the  girls. 

The  library  consists  of  about  6,000  volumes,  with  a  rare  and  valuable 
collection  of  material  relative  to  Friends.  "Familiarity  with  libraries 
and  books,  acquired  by  daily  contact  and  use,  is  an  exceedingly  impor- 
tant part  of  school  work.  Knowledge  where  information  may  be 
obtained  is  next  to  possessing  it."  Liberal  methods  are  pursued  with  re- 
gard to  the  library. 

The  discipline  of  the  school  is  on  a  broad  basis.  The  good  disci- 
pline of  the  institution  demands  unqualified  obedience  to  its  rules. 
But  its  moral  and  social  training,  the  most  important  matter  in  educa- 
tion, teaches  individual  responsibility  and  obedience  to  personal  con- 
viction of  right  and  duty. 

This  method  lies  at  the  foundation  of  true  character  and  is  the  educator's  most 
delicate  and  difficult  field  of  service.  The  end  to  be  attained  is  that  the  child  shall 
stand  safely  and  firmly  when  the  fostering  influences  of  school  and  home  are  with- 
drawn. 

Special  attention  is  given  to  the  care  and  guidance  of  the  pupils,  for  we  are 
impressed  with  the  conviction  that  education  is  derived  not  merely  from  the  acqui- 
sition of  knowledge,  but  to  a  still  greater  extent  from  that  potent  and  shaping 
influence  which  comes  from  contact  of  youth  with  mature  minds.  The  endeavor  is, 
by  constant  intercourse  and  watchful  care,  by  precept  arid  example,  to  mold  and 


ACADEMIES    AND    PREPARATORY    SOFTOOLS.  49 

form  as  well  as  instruct;  to  prepare  tlie  pupils  to  become  not  only  accurate  scholars 
but  noble  men  and  women.  To  the  attainment  of  this  end  the  discipline  is  mainly 
directed.  Although  the  organization  of  the  school'is  of  such  a  character  that  the 
personal  influence  of  all  the  teachers  is  felt  to  a  considerable  extent,  yet  the  imme- 
diate care  of  the  scholars  is  committed,  under  the  general  direction  of  the  principal, 
to  two  officers,  whose  special  duty  is  to  exercise  a  constant  and  controlling  influence 
over  the  pupils  at  all  hours.  For  the  attainment  of  this  same  end,  i.  e.,  the  refining 
and  molding  influence  upon  character,  the  boys  and  girls  recite  together  and  sit 
at  the  same  tables  in  the  dining  hall,  over  each  of  which  a  teacher  presides ;  occa- 
sionally, also,  the  officers  and  pupils  meet  for  social  intercourse  in  the  public  hull. 
Experience  has  shown  that  the  benefit  arising  to  both  girls  and  boys  from  such 
coeducation  can  hardly  be  overestimated.  It  is  no  longer  a  matter  of  experiment, 
and  is  shown  to  be  quite  as  beneficial  to  the  girls  as  to  the  boys. 

Such  is  the  present  status  of  the  school.  The  progressive  spirit  here 
obtaining,  and  characteristic  to  a  greater  degree  of  Friends  in  general, 
is  well  summed  up  by  George  William  Curtis: 

The  muses  were  but  pagan  goddesses  to  the  older  Quakers.  James  Naylor  and 
George  Fox  would  have  put  aside  the  sweet  solicitations  of  color  and  of  song  as  St. 
Anthony  avoided  the  blandishments  of  the  lovely  siren  whom  he  knew  to  be  the 
devil.  But  gently  the  modern  Quakers  have  been  won  over.  That  grim  austerity, 
as  of  the  Puritan,  has  yielded  to  kindly  sympathies,  and  the  wholesome  gayeties 
.and  the  refining  graces  of  life  are  not  disowned  by  the  Quietists.  Nay,  even  in  a 
severer  day  was  there  not  a  certain  elegance  of  taste  in  Friends'  raiment?  If  the 
bonnet  were  rigidly  of  the  Quaker  type  was  it  not  of  exquisite  texture?  Was  not 
the  fabric  of  the  dress  as  delicate  and  soft  as  if  woven  in  Persian  looms'?  Was  a 
sense  of  Quaker  aristocracy  unknown,  and  has  no  Quaker  equipage  been  seen  which 
rolled  with  an  air  as  superior  as  that  of  a  cardinal's  carriage? 

SOCIETIES. 

Among  valuable  contributory  sources  to  education  are  the  literary 
societies  formed  for  purposes  of  improvement  and  debate.  Many  of 
the  Greek-letter  societies  in  our  colleges  maintain  a  debating  society 
as  a  part  of  their  literary  training.  At  a  recent  reunion  in  Providence 
of  one  of  the  Greek-letter  fraternities  of  Brown,  an  eminent  lawyer 
said: 

To  my  training  and  practice  in  my  society  debating  club,  I  owe  very  much  of  my 
success  in  pleading  and  appearing  before  the  public. 

The  Lyceum  Phoenix  was  established  at  the  Friends'  School  in  1833. 
Kegular  meetings  are  held  and  conducted  in  accordance  with  the  rules 
of  parliamentary  usage.  Debates  are  held  and  literary  exercises  of  a 
more  general  character.  This  society  published  a  pamphlet  called  "  The 
Pho3nix  Echo."  The  work  is  like  the  annuals  published  in  so  many  of 
our  colleges,  and  for  the  good  taste  and  subject  matter  will  compare 
favorably  with  the  best  of  them.  There  is  one  other  society  of  a  sim- 
ilar nature,  called  "  The  Athenaeum,"  founded  in  1874.  The  member- 
ship in  each  is  open  to  both  the  young  men  and  ladies  of  the  school. 
There  are  two  literary  societies  of  which  the  membership  is  composed 
entirely  of  the  young  ladies:  The  "League,"  of  which  the  motto  is 
"Animi  cultus  humanitatis  cibus,"  and  the  Tennyson  Club,  "Better  not 
1123  s;  i 4 


50          HISTORY    OP    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

to  be  at  all,  than  not  be  noble."    The  average  membership  in  each  is 
about  15.     There  is  also  a  Ypung  Men's  Christian  Association. 

COURSE    OP   STUDY. 

The  present  faculty  numbers  16.  The  course  of  study  is  so  planned 
that  it  will  meet  the  requirements  of  those  who  wish  to  enter 
college,  or  will  give  an  all-round  education  to  those  who  will  pursue 
their  studies  no  farther  than  the  courses  here  offered.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  Brown  University,  the  Friends'  School  offers  the  most  advanced 
courses.  There  are  two  courses,  the  classical  and  the  literary  and  sci- 
entific. 

Classical  course. 

First  year. — First  term:  Latin,  beginner's  book ;  algebra;  English  analysis.  Sec- 
ond term:  Latin,  beginner's  book;  Caesar,  13  chapters,  Booki;  algebra,  to  complete 
19  chapters  of  Went  worth;  Roman  history. 

Second  year. — First  term:  Caesar,  Books  n  and.  in;  Greek  grammar;  Greek  lessons; 
Greek  history;  English  composition.  Second  term:  Caesar,  Books  i  and  iv,  or  Sal- 
lust  and  Caesar,  Book  iv;  Greek  grammar ;  Greek  lessons ;  Anabasis,  3  chapters;  Latin 
composition ;  geometry ;  6  books. 

Third  year. — First  term:  Virgil — JEneid,  Books  I  and  n;  Cicero,  3  orations;  Ana- 
basis, Books  I  and  n;  Latin  composition;  Greek  composition.  Second  term:  Virgil, 
Books  iv,  v,  and  vi ;  Cicero,  4  orations ;  Anabasis,  Books  in  and  iv ;  Latin  composi- 
tion ;  Greek  composition. 

Fourth  year. — First  term:  Homer — Iliad,  3  books;  Livy,  Book  xxi,  or  French; 
Latin  composition ;  Greek  composition ;  mathematics  reviewed ;  Xenophon ;  Hellenica 
(optional).  Second  term — Virgil — Eclogues,  or  Ovid  (optional);  Caesar,  Cicero,  and 
Virgil,  including  Book  in,  reviewed ; l  Anabasis  reviewed;2  mathematics  reviewed; 
reading  Greek  and  Latin  at  sight. 

Literary  and  scientific  course. 

First  year. — First  term:  Elementary  algebra;  reading  and  composition;  United 
States  history ;  Latin,  beginning  book;  mental  arithmetic.  Second  term:  Reading 
and  composition ;  algebra,  to  complete  19  chapters  of  Wentworth ;  physical  geogra- 
phy;  Latin,  beginning  book;  and  Caesar  13  chapters;  mental  arithmetic. 

Second  year. — First  term:  Geometry,  6  books;  history  of  England;  reading  and 
composition;  English  grammar;  Caesar,  Books  n  and  in.  Second  term:  English 
analysis;  botany;  reading  and  composition ;  Caesar,  Booki;  physics. 

Third  year. — First  term:  English  literature;  rhetoric  and  English  analysis;  trig- 
onometry and  astronomy ;  reading  and  composition ;  Virgil,  Books  i  and  11 ;  civil  gov- 
ernment. Second  term:  German  or  French ;  advanced  American  history ;  reading  and 
composition ;  civil  government ;  chemistry ;  Shakespeare. 

Fourth  year. — First  term:  Old  English  and  Anglo-Saxon;  German  or  French ;  com- 
position; mental  philosophy:  geology.  Second  term:  English  poetry;  history  of 
civilization ;  German  or  French ;  physiology. 

Attention  will  be  given  throughout  the  course  to  elocution,  English  composition, 
and  the  Scriptures. 

'Instead  of  these  reviews,  4  books  of  the  Odes  of  Horace  may  be  substituted. 
2  Instead  of  this  review,  50  pages  of  Herodotus  and  1  book  of  Homer's  Odyssey  may 
be  substituted. 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          51 

Mineralogy,  zoology,  logic,  evidences  of  Christianity,  bookkeeping,  ancient  his- 
tory, surveying,  and  drawing  will  be  elective  studies  in  the  second  and  third  years, 
and  Latin  in  the  fourth  year.  Should  students  desire  to  pursue  a  more  extended 
course  in  the  classics  and  mathematics  (for  which  provision  is  made),  a  longer  time 
than  four  years  will  be  necessary. 

BUILDINGS. 

It  seems  eminently  fitting  that  an  institution  of  learning  should  be 
located  in  the  midst  of  pleasant  surroundings.  Many  of  the  acade- 
mies of  Rhode  Island  are  situated  on  the  shores  of  her  bay,  but  the 
Friends'  School  is  located  in  Providence  on  ground  of  about  50  acres 
in  area.  Beautiful  groves  and  walks  are  at  the  immediate  service 
of  the  student.  From  the  cupola  of  the  main  building  can  be  seen 
every  town  in  the  State  with  the  exception  of  New  Shoreham  on  Block 
Island. 

The  main  building  was  the  original  structure  erected  under  the 
supervision  of  Moses  Brown.  This  building  is  220  feet  in  length,  three 
stories  high,  and  contains  recitation  rooms,  dormitories,  the  girls'  school- 
room, parlor,  and  dining  room. 

To  this  building  has  been  added  a  wing  50  by  40  feet,  containing  the 
boys'  schoolroom  and  dormitories.  Alumni  hall  forms  the  right  wing 
of  the  main  building.  This  is  the  treasure  house  of  the  building,  for 
here  are  the  two  marble  busts  of  John  Bright  and  Elizabeth  Fry,  and 
the  portraits  of  Whittier  and  Moses  Brown.  In  this  hall  are  held  all 
the  public  entertainments  and  lectures.  Opening  out  from  this  hall  is 
the  library.  Here,  too,  are  rooms  containing  the  scientific  and  chemical 
apparatus  and  the  geological  and  mineralogical  cabinets.  In  the 
upper  stories  are  the  girls'  dormitories.  Reference  has  been  made  to 
the  artistic  decoration  of  the  various  rooms.  In  connection  with  each 
wing  is  a  gymnasium. 

The  astronomical  observatory,  situated  upon  the  grounds  in  the  rear, 
contains  an  achromatic  telescope,  equatorially  mounted,  with  4J  inch 
object  glass,  a  transit  instrument,  and  an  astronomical  clock,  all 
superior  instruments.  These  are  used  for  class  and  general  instruc- 
tion, under  the  direction  of  the  teacher  of  higher  mathematics. 

LIST   OF   PRINCIPALS. 

The  foundation  of  an  institution  which  has  sent  from  its  walls  stu- 
dents to  the  number  of  10,000  into  all  stations  in  life  must  be  on  a 
solid  basis.  The  early  principals  were  called  superintendents.  From 
the  reopening  of  the  school  in  Providence,  in  1819,  the  following  have 
been  in  charge:  Matthew  Purington,  1819-1824;  Enoch  Breed,  1824- 
1835;  Seth  Davis,  1835-1836;  Enoch  Breed,  1836-1837;  Rowland  Rath- 
bun,  1837-1839;  Allen  Wing,  1839-1844;  Olney  Thompson,  1844-1847; 
Silas  Cornell,  1847-1852;  Charles  Atherton,  1852-1855;  Gertrude  W. 
Cartland,  1855-1860;  Albert  K.  Smiley,  1860-1879;  Augustine  Jones, 


52  HISTORY    OP    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

1879  to  the  present  time.  The  school  has  numbered  among1  its  academic 
staff  men  famous  as  educators  and  scholars.  Moses  A.  Cartland;  Lind- 
ley  M.  Moore,  of  New  York;  John  Griscom,  Prof.  Gummerie,  Prof. 
Moses  0.  Stevens,  Caroline  Gartland,  Sarah  Alice  Cornell,  John  F. 
Rowell,  Mary  Ann  Stauton;  Prof.  Alonzo  F.  Williams,  Brown  Univer- 
sity; Charles  Brownell,  Charles  H.  Parkhurst;  Stephen  A.  Chase,  of 
Salem  5  Pliny  E.  Chase,  of  Haverford  College,  and  President  Thomas 
Chase,  of  Haverford  College. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  better-known  educators  who  have  comprised 
the  personnel  of  the  school  in  days  gone  by.  There  are  others  who,  if 
not  so  well  known,  have  done  faithful  and  conscientious  work,  thereby 
making  an  integral  part  in  the  sum  total  of  the  grand  result.  Its  gradu- 
ates have  gone  into  all  professions  and  pursuits,  and  a  glance  at  the 
representatives  of  their  commencement  exercises  and  reunions  will 
show  who  they  are.  Here  again  a  few  must  suffice:  Hon.  Jonathan 
Chace,  U.  S.  Senator;  Abraham  Barker,  of  Philadelphia;  Dr.  Henry 
Wood,  Johns  Hopkins  University;  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Tobey,  of  Provi- 
dence. Many  graduates  have  come  back  here  to  teach  and  have  won 
reputation. 

WASHINGTON    ACADEMY. 

Washington  Academy  was  founded  in  response  to  a  demand  for 
increased  advantages  in  higher  education.  In  1800  Brown  was  the 
only  institution  where  a  higher  education  could  be  obtained.  The 
Friends'  School  had  been  organized  in  1784,  but  after  its  removal  to 
Providence,  was  suspended  till  1814.  There  was  a  demand  for  an  insti- 
tution where  young  men  could  be  trained  for  the  position  of  teaching. 
Accordingly,  those  who  were  interested  in  Newport,  Providence,  and 
Warwick  decided  to  found  an  academy  and  locate  it  at  Warwick. 
The  movement  was  actuated  by  the  public  spirit  of  the  founders,  and 
represented  a  great  amount  of  self-sacrifice.  As  was  usual  then,  a  part 
of  the  expense  was  defrayed  by  a  lottery.  Shares  at  $20  each  were 
offered,  and  subscriptions  were  solicited.  Unfortunately  the  records 
are  in  a  bad  state  of  preservation. 

The  first  meeting  under  the  articles  of  association  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Oliver  Spink,  in  Wickford,  March  10, 1800.  A  committee  was 
chosen  to  draft  a  charter  and  see  that  the  necessary  steps  were  taken 
to  secure  it.  The  purpose  of  those  who  were  interested  in  this  acad- 
emy can  be  shown  by  the  following  selections  from  the  charter: 

Whereas  institutions  for  liberal  education  are  highly  beneficial  to  society,  by 
forming  the  rising  generation  to  virtue,  knowledge,  and  useful  literature,  and  thus 
preserving  a  succession  of  men  qualified  for  discharging  the  offices  of  life  with  use- 
fulness and  reputation,  they  have  therefore  justly  merited  and  receive  the  public 
attention  and  encouragement  of  every  wise,  polished,  and  well-regulated  State; 

And  whereas  an  academy  erected  in  North  Kingstown,  in  the  county  of  Washing- 
ton, in  this  State,  would  be  advantageous  to  this  Government; 

And  whereas  Lodowick  Updike,  Peter  Phillips,  Benjamin  Fowler,  George  Thomas, 
Thomas  Rumreill,  Daniel  E.  Updike,  Benjamin  Reynolds,  Philip  Tillinghaat,  William 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          53 

Ellery,  Robert  N.  Auchmuty,  Samuel  Elam,  John  I.  Clarke,  Thomas  P.  Ives,  Christo- 
pher G.  Champlin,  William  Hunter,  Walter  Channing,  Daniel  Lyman,  and  Asher 
Robbins  appear  as  undertakers  in  this  design ;  and  thereupon  a  petition  hath  been  pre- 
sented to  this  assembly  praying  that  full  liberty  and  power  may  be  granted  unto  them 
to  found,  endow,  order,  and  govern  said  academy;  and  that  they  may  be  incorpo- 
rated into  one  body  politic,  to  be  known  in  the  law  with  the  powers,  privileges,  and 
franchises  necessary  to  the  purposes  of  said  institution. 

Then  follow  provisions  for  subscription  to  the  stock,  the  number  of 
trustees  (twenty-five),  the  election  of  new  trustees,  the  government 
of  the  academy,  and  the  four  following  enactments: 

And,  furthermore,  it  is  hereby  enacted  and  declared,  That  into  this  liberal  and  catholic 
institution  shall  never  be  admitted  any  religious  tests ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  all  the 
members  hereof  shall  forever  enjoy  full,  free,  unmolested,  and  absolute  liberty  of 
conscience;  and  that  the  places  of  principal  and  other  instructors  shall  be  free  and 
open  to  all  denominations ;  and  that  the  youth  of  all  religious  denominations  shall 
and  may  be  freely  admitted  to  the  equal  advantages  of  this  institution,  and  all  receive 
alike  fair,  generous,  and  equal  treatment  during  their  continuance  therein,  they 
conducting  themselves  peaceably  and  conforming  to  the  laws  and  statutes  thereof. 

And  it  is  hereby  ordained  and  declared,  That  in  this  academy  shall  no  arts  or  methods 
be  practiced  to  allure  and  proselyte  or  insinuate  the  peculiar  principles  of  any  one 
or  other  denominations  into  the  minds  of  the  scholars. 

And  it  is  thereupon  declared,  constituted,  and  established,  That  everything  of  this 
nature  shall  be  accounted  a  misdemeanor,  be  avoided,  and  by  all  denominations  dis- 
dained and  discountenanced  as  beneath  the  dignity  and  foreign  from  the  true  inten- 
tion of  this  institution,  the  main  design  of  which  is  to  sow  in  the  minds  of  the  rising 
youth  the  seeds  of  useful  literature,  to  cultivate  and  improve  good  morals,  and  thus 
to  make  them  useful  to  themselves  and  to  their  country. 

And,  furthermore,  for  the  greater  encouragement  of  this  seminary  of  learning,  we 
do  grant,  enact,  ordain,  and  declare  that  the  estate  of  this  academy,  the  estate,  per- 
sons, and  family  of  the  principal  instructor  for  the  time  being,  lying  and  being 
within  this  State,  with  the  persons  of  other  instructors  and  scholars,  during  their 
belonging  to  said  academy,  shall  be  freed  and  exempted  from  all  taxes,  serving  on 
juries,  and  menial  services,  and  from  bearing  arms,  impress,  and  military  service. 

The  charter  provided  that  the  first  meeting  of  the  trustees  should 
be  held  August  27, 1800.  The  following  officers  were  chosen :  Samuel 
Elam,  president;  Peter  Phillips,  vice-president;  Benjamin  Fowler, 
treasurer ;  Daniel  E.  Updike,  secretary. 

At  this  meeting  the  land,  consisting  of  4  acres,  was  presented  for 
the  site  of  the  academy.  This  gift  was  made  by  Mr.  Nicholas  Spink 
and  Ann,  his  wife,  Mr.  John  Franklin  and  Hannah,  his  wife.  An  addi- 
tional gift  of  $100  was  made  by  Mr.  Samuel  Elam,  who,  according  to 
the  tradition,  wished  the  name  of  the  institution  to  be  Elam  Academy, 
but  through  the  persistency  of  one  of  the  trustees  the  original  name  of 
Washington  Academy  was  retained.  Towards  the  latter  part  of  1800 
the  building  committee  announced  that  the  work  was  nearly  completed, 
but  that  there  was  a  deficiency  in  the  treasury.  This  was  met  by  a 
new  subscription,  and  early  in  1802  the  school  opened  with  seven 
scholars,  under  the  preceptorship  of  Alpheus  Barker,  of  Newport- 
The  building  was  divided  into  four  rooms,  two  of  which  were  used  as 
recitation  rooms;  during  the  absence  of  the  principal  or  assistant  from 


54          HISTORY    OF   HIGHER   EDUCATION   IN   RHODE    ISLAND. 

the  room  a  monitor  was  appointed.  As  there  were  no  catalogues  the 
course  of  study  must  be  gathered  from  reminiscences  of  those  who 
were  students.  The  ordinary  rudiments  were  taught,  as  well  as  the 
higher  mathematics,  navigation,  surveying,  and  astronomy.  The  town 
of  Wickford  was  just  entering  upon  a  period  of  commercial  activity. 
From  her  wharves  sailed  merchantmen  for  the  African  trade,  for  the 
East  Indies,  and  the  coasting  service.  Wickford  was  the  market  for  a 
large  agricultural  district,  from  which  the  produce  was  sent  abroad. 
In  this  town  a  large  part  of  the  young  men  followed  the  sea  till  they 
were  about  25.  By  that  time  many  had  so  risen  that  they  had  fair 
prospects  of  securing  the  command  of  a  vessel,  or  of  ranking  among 
the  officers.  At  this  juncture  they  wanted  a  course  in  navigation, 
which  they  could  now  get  at  home  in  their  own  academy.  Before  1840 
Washington  Academy  had  fitted  no  less  than  fifty  men  for  practical 
navigation. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 

A  very  good  insight  into  the  educational  methods  and  the  subjects 
taught  at  the  higher  academies  of  the  first  part  of  this  century  may 
be  gathered  from  a  brief  sketch  of  one  of  the  Washington  Academy 
boys.  There  were  two  other  academies  then,  Kent  and  Warwick,  so 
that  some  of  the  correspondence  is  connected  with  them.  Jeremiah  G. 
Chadsey,  a  graduate  of  Washington  Academy,  of  North  Kingston, 
went  to  Plainfield,  Conn.,  to  school,  because  there  was  none  of  a  high 
grade  in  his  own  State,  Rhode  Island.  As  soon  as  the  academy  was 
opened  in  Wickford  he  returned.  Here  he  was  instructed  in  astron- 
omy, navigation,  and  surveying,  how  well  may  be  seen  from  the  fact  that 
for  his  own  gratification  he  made  an  almanac  computing  all  the  calcula- 
tions for  that  year.  As  a  surveyor  he  was  employed  by  the  probate 
court  as  one  of  the  commissioners  to  lay  out  any  land  that  might  be  in 
dispute.  As  a  navigator  he  taught  navigation  successfully  for  several 
years.  The  following  letter  will  show  how  his  scholarship  was  regarded 
by  the  principal  of  the  academy  where  he  had  just  completed  his  last 

year  of  study : 

WASHINGTON,  January  20,  1803. 

DEAR  SIR:  If  you  can  consistently  call  on  me  some  evening  this  week  I  should 
be  glad,  as  I  wish  to  have  some  conversation  with  you  concerning  your  becoming 
an  assistant  in  W.  Academy. 
Yours,  personally, 

A.  BAKER. 

• 

Mr.  JEREMIAH  CHADSEY. 

On  the  same  note  appears  the  reply  as  follows: 

I  was  previously  engaged  when  I  received  this. 

•  J.  G.  CHADSEY. 

The  engagement  was  the  acceptance  of  a  position  of  assistant  at 
Kent  Academy,  where  he  remained  nearly  four  years.  The  next  letter 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          55 

will  show  liis  success  as  a  teacher,  and  the  reply  of  the  committee  at 
the  Central  School  in  Warwick,  to  his  application  for  the  position. 

EAST  GREENWICH,  January  31,  1807. 

GENTLEMEN:  Being  informed  that  your  Central  School  is  without  a  teacher,  I 
take  the  liberty  to  recommend  Mr.  Jeremiah  G.  Chadsey  to  your  notice.  He  is 
possessed  of  all  the  necessary  abilities  to  teach  the  English  language  grammati- 
cally, all  the  branches  of  arithmetic  and  mathematics.  He  has  taught  reading, 
writing,  arithmetic,  algebra,  surveying,  navigation,  geography,  and  astronomy  in 
our  Kent  Academy  with  the  applause  of  all  who  were  concerned  in  it,  and  universal 
satisfaction  of  the  gentlemen  who  have  attended  his  examinations. 

I  sincerely  regret  his  withdrawing  his  useful  instruction  from  this  academy,  and  I 
fear  we  shall  not  be  able  to  fill  the  place  he  quits  with  equal  abilities.  He  has  a 
very  happy  faculty  of  giving  instruction  and  obtaining  the  love  and  esteem  of  his 
pupils.  He  is  modest,  mild,  inoffensive  and  unassuming,  and  able  to  give  complete 
satisfaction  to  his  employers.  With  sincere  wishes  for  the  prosperity  of  your  Cen- 
tral School, 

I  am,  gentlemen,  your  most  obedient,  humble,  servant. 

PETER  TURNER. 
To  the  CENTRAL  SCHOOL  COMMITTEE, 

Warwick. 


WARWICK,  FeVy  5th,  1807. 

SIR:  We,  the  committee  of  the  Warwick  Central  School  Society,  having  met  and 
noticed  your  application,  do  inform  you  that  there  will  be  a  vacancy  for  a  preceptor 
in  our  school  on  the  first  of  April  next,  and  having  examined  your  several  recom- 
mendations, which  perfectly  meet  our  approbation  with  respect  to  your  literary 
knowledge  and  other  competent  qualifications  for  a  preceptor,  do  grant  to  you  the 
privilege  of  filling  the  same  should  your  terms  of  tuition  meet  our  approbation. 
We  are,  with  much  esteem  and  respect,  yours,  &c., 

JOSEPH  ARNOLD  (S^b.). 
CHARLES  BRAYTON. 
GEORGE  ARNOLD. 
Mr.  J.  G.  CHADSEY. 

A  bill  rendered  by  Mr.  Chadsey  to  one  of  the  patrons  of  the  school 
will  show  the  current  charges. 

Mr.  Christopher  Greene,  Dr. 
1807. 

April  27.  To  cash  delivered  to  his  sou  Sam'l $0. 12 

July.          To  1  quire  paper  for  Nath'l 25 

Sept.    3.    To  1  Ib.  candles 22 

Sept.  28.    To  boarding  his  sou  Sam'l  24  weeks,  at  $1.25 30.00 

To  his  tuition  and  contingents  the  above  time 6. 14 

To  schoolhouse  rent  do.  67 

To  boarding  his  son  Nath'l  9£  weeks,  at  $1.25 11.88 

To  teaching  him  navigation  the  above  time 4. 00 

1808. 

Mch.   2.     To  cash  delivered  to  Nath'l 25 

Mch.  28.     To  boarding  his  sous  Nathanael  and  Richard  (from  Dec.  28  to  March 

28)  7  weeks,  at  $1.25 8.75 

To  their  tuition  the  above  time 1.  75 

To  schoolhouse  rent,  firewood,  &c 39 


56  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Chadsey  shows  his  reasons  for  leaving  this  school 
at  Warwick  and  some  of  his  ideas  regarding  the  profession.  The  first 
part  of  the  reply  of  the  committee  has  been  torn  from  the  original 
letter,  but  it  was  evidently  a  short  sentence,  as  what  follows  contains 
the  greater  part. 

GENTLEMEN:  I  now  have  the  offer  of  another  school,  which  I  conceive  to  be  mote 
lucrative  than  yours,  and  as  the  support  of  my  family  depends  entirely  upon  my 
earnings  I  feel  it  a  duty  which  I  owe  to  myself  and  family  to  embrace  the  oppor- 
tunity, and  therefore  must  beg  leave  of  being  discharged  from  your  institution,  but 
not  without  expressing  to  you  my  gratitude  of  the  kind  treatment  you  have  ever 
manifested  to  me,  and  through  you  must  return  my  sincere  thanks  to  my  employers 
in  general.  I  am  sorry  that  it  was  not  in  my  power  to  give  you  earlier  notice;  bat 
I  can  assure  you,  gentlemen,  that  I  had  not  the  least  idea  of  leaving  you  till  within 
two  days  past,  and  that  I  have  no  other  object  in  going  but  that  of  increasing  my 
pay.  When  you  consider  the  length  of  time  that  I  have  been  in  your  service,  and 
that  a  shift  of  instructors  is  necessary  for  the  discipline  of  a  school  (for  by  a  long 
acquaintance  between  the  master  and  scholars  a  familiarity  is  formed  which  ends 
many  times  either  in  a  negligence  to  govern  or  an  unwillingness  to  be  governed),  I 
say,  gentlemen,  when  you  take  these  things  into  consideration  you  will  think  that 
my  removal  is  as  necessary  as  it  is  hasty,  and  therefore  will  pardon  my  precipitate 
determination.  That  your  institution  may  flourish  under  the  care  of  all  instructors, 
and  become  a  nursery  of  information  to  the  rising  generation,  is  the  ardent  wish  of 
Your  most  obliged  and  very  humble  servant, 

J.  G.  CHADSKV. 
Messrs.  JOSEPH  ARNOLD,  HENRY  REMINGTON,  CHARLES  BRAYTON, 

Warwick  Central  School  Committee. 
FRIDAY  MORNING,  April  20,  1810. 


We  add  that  we  are  Arery  sorry  that  you  are  about  to  leave  the  academy  when  so 
much  fit'  the  respectability  it  now  holds  is  greatly  owing  to  your  unwearied  atten- 
tion to  the  improvement  of  the  scholars  at  all  times.  It  has  always  been  our  wish 
that  the  principal  of  the  academy  should  have  been  willing  to  have  allowed  you 
such  a  part  of  the  profits  of  the  institution  as  would  have  made  it  an  object  for  you 
to  have  continued  in  it,  knowing  from  long  experience  how  much  depends  on  a  good 
second  in  such  an  institution.  We  part  with  you  with  great  reluctance,  and  add 
that  you  may  depend  and  calculate  upon  us  at  all  times  as  your  friend. 

ELIHU  H.  GREENE. 

Mr.  Chadsey  is  at  liberty  to  show  the  above  to  whom  he  pleases. 

E.  H.  GREENE. 
Mr.  J.  G.  CHADSEY. 

RENEWAL   OF    CHARTER. 

About  thirty  years  after  the  founding  of  the  academy  the  interest  in 
it  seemed  to  decrease.  It  may  have  been  that  other  academies  were 
then  in  successful  operation  in  the  State,  or  that  more  of  the  young 
men  engaged  in  business  or  commerce,  for  at  this  period  the  commer- 
cial activity  of  Wickford  was  at  its  li eight.  The  teachers  during  this 
period  were  Wilbur  Tillinghast,  Linden  Fuller,  Amanuel  Northup,  Carr 
Northup,  Barton  Ballou,  Mr.  Wood,  and  Francis  Cliappel.  The  terms 
which  these  gentlemen  held  their  position  varied  from  six  months  to 


ACADEMIES    AND    PREPARATORY    SCHOOLS.  57 

eight  years.  In  1833  a  crisis  in  the  affairs  of  the  academy  was  reached. 
The  buildings  were  in  such  a  condition  that  repairs  must  be  made  at 
once  if  they  were  to  be  saved.  Accordingly,  on  April  137  1833,  the 
friends  of  the  institution  came  to  its  support,  and  a  petition  was  made 
for  a  revival  of  the  old  charter  of  1800,  with  the  amendment  that  fail- 
ure to  hold  annual  meetings  should  not  invalidate  it.  Among  the 
names  of  the  new  board  of  trustees  were  those  of  Nicholas  Brown, 
Daniel  E.  Updike,  Pardon  T.  Hammond,  Thomas  P.  Ives,  Jeremiah  G. 
Chadsey,  Jonathan  .Reynolds,  Joseph  C.  Sanford,  and  John  Brown 
Francis.  Under  the  new  charter  the  following  were  chosen  as  the 
officers:  John  Brown  Francis,  president;  Jonathan  Reynolds,  vice- 
president;  Pardon  T.  Hammond,  secretary:  Joseph  C.  Sanford,  treas- 
urer. 

By  subscription  a  sum  was  raised  for  the  repair  of  the  buildings. 
The  first  teacher  after  the  reorganization  was  William  D.  Uphain.  A 
salary  of  $100  was  given  him  and  one- half  of  the  proceeds  from  tuition. 
He  received  for  the  first  year  $427.  Miss  Caroline  Whiting  was  his 
assistant.  Several  students  from  adjoining  towns  attonded,  and  the 
interest  was  maintained  for  about  three  years.  From  this  time  till 
1848,  when  the  academy  was  leased  to  the  school  district,  there  were 
frequent  changes  in  the  teachers.  Only  inferior  teachers  could  be 
engaged,  because  the  income  from  tuition  was  used  to  meet  the  ex- 
penses, and  the  attendance  now  was  very  small.  At  a  special  meeting 
of  the  trustees,  held  May  27,  1848,  it  was  voted  to  lease  the  academy 
to  the  school  district  for  a  public  school. 

KENT,  LATER  EAST  GREENWICH,  ACADEMY. 

PETITION    FOR   A    CHARTER. 

Educational  methods  are  various  and  the  contributory  sources  are 
numerous.  In  many  of  the  colonies  the  surroundings  were  favorable  to 
educational  development.  Rhode  Island  has  been  the  scene  of  many  a 
hard-fought  battle  for  principle,  civil  and  religious.  The  towns  situated 
on  her  bay  have  witnessed  stirring  scenes,  and  the  recollections  of  these 
events  have  aroused  dormant  feelings  of  patriotism  and  pride.  In 
Narragansett  Bay  was  captured  the  Gaspee,  and  the  first  blood  in  the 
Revolution  was  shed.  Vessels  with  the  rich  freight  of  the  Indies  came 
to  the  wharves  of  Providence  and  Newport.  The  locations  of  institu- 
tions of  learning  in  this  State  were  well  chosen,  and  many  of  them  had 
a  rich  historic  setting  which  could  not  fail  of  inspiration.  Kent  Acad- 
emy at  East  Greenwich,  on  Narragansett  Bay,  is  one  of  these  favored 
institutions.  In  this  township  and  vicinity  lived  men  who  were  famous 
for  their  part  taken  in  the  Revolution,  and  who  aided  the  cause 
with  counsel  and  money.  The  stirring  times  of  war  and  the  excitement 
incident  to  the  close  of  the  century  had  passed.  Prudent  men  were 
determined  to  provide  increased  facilities  for  education.  The  definite 


58  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

shape  which  the  movement  took  is  best  set  forth  in  the  preamble  and 
articles  of  association  drawn  up  by  Hon.  Bay  Greene. 

EAST  GREENWICH,  Oct.  8th,  1802. 

Ethan  Clark,  William  Arnold,  Mathewson  and  Mowry,  and  Peter  Turner,  all  of  East 
Greenwich,  and  State  of  Rhode  Island,  and  Ray  Greene,  Elihu  Greene,  and  Chris- 
topher Greene,  all  of  Warwick,  anxious  to  promote  the  happiness  of  posterity  and 
to  continue  the  blessings  of  a  free  and  equal  Government,  which  this  country  enjoys 
in  as  great  a  degree  as  any  other  nation,  and  believing  that  well-conducted  semi- 
naries of  learning  in  which  youth  may  acquire  knowledge,  with  the  advantages  of 
places  of  public  worship  to  incline  their  niinds  to  morality  and  religion,  are  the 
most  probable  means  to  effect  their  design,  have  associated  for  this  (as  they  con- 
sider) laudable  purpose  and  have  purchased  a  lot  of  land  in  East  Greenwich  contain- 
ing an  acre  and  twenty  rods,  upon  which  they  intend  (with  the  assistance  of  others 
that  may  be  equally  disposed  to  promote  the  good  of  mankind)  to  erect  a  building 
about  sixty  feet  long  and  thirty  feet  wide,  two  stories  high,  and  convenient  for  the 
accommodation,  and,  when  properly  regulated,  suitable  for  the  instruction  of  a  con- 
siderable number  of  youth  in  such  branches  of  education  as  may  be  thought  most  to 
their  advantage.  They  also  please  themselves  with  the  idea  that  such  an  institution 
will  be  productive  of  the  advantage  to  East  Greenwich  and  its  vicinity  of  introduc- 
ing a  settled  minister  of  the  gospel  to  preach  in  the  meeting  house  which  is  now  so 
seldom  improved. 

This  place  (in  East  Greenwich)  being  central  in  this  State,  and  possessing  so  many 
advantages,  will  induce  many  persons  to  place  their  children  here  for  education, 
where  they  can  visit  them  with  convenience  and  be  frequent  spectators  of  their 
improvement.  To  complete  the  contemplated  plan  very  considerable  expense  will 
be  required,  much  more  than  is  reasonable  for  a  few  to  bear;  but  we  natter  ourselves 
that  there  are  others,  who,  believing  as  we  do  the  dissemination  of  literature,  infor- 
mation, and  religion  is  amongst  the  first  duties  of  society,  and  the  most  productive 
of  order  and  good  regulations  in  republican  governments,  will  become  subscribers 
to  this  plan,  and  adding  their  names  to  these  already  mentioned  will  lend  their 
assistance  to  support  the  society.  *  *  * 

In  accord  with  this  design,  the  articles  of  incorporation  were  granted 
in  1802.  How  far  the  ideas  of  the  incorporators  were  met  will  appear 
from  the  extracts  from  the  charter. 

CHARTER    OF    KENT    ACADEMY. 
AN  ACT  to  incorporate  certain  persons  by  the  name  of  the  Proprietors  of  Kent  Academy. 

Whereas  the  establishment  of  public  institutions  for  the  promotion  of  literature 
and  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  is  an  object  of  the  highest  importance  to  society 
by  affording  the  means  to  the  rising  generation  of  gaming  instruction  in  the  princi- 
ples and  practice  of  virtue,  and  of  acquiring  that  knowledge  and  wisdom  which  is 
-necessary  to  qualify  them  to  fill  with  usefulness  and  honor  the  various  stations  and 
offices  of  life;  and 

Whereas  an  academy  founded  in  East  Greenwich,  in  the  county  of  Kent,  would  be 
highly  beneficial  to  that  place  and  advantageous  to  the  Government;  and 

Whereas  a  number  of  persons  have  undertaken  in  this  design,  and  have  by  their 
committee  preferred  a  petition  to  this  general  assembly,  praying  that  full  liberty  and 
power  mny  be  granted  unto  them  to  found,  endow,  and  govern  said  academy,  and  that 
they  may  be  incorporated  into  one  body  politic  by  the  name  of  Proprietors  of  Kent 
Academy,  witli  all  the  powers,  privileges,  and  franchises  necessary  for  the  purpose  of 
said  institution.  »  »  >  * 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          59 

Then  follow  the  sections  pertaining  to  the  holding  of  property,  "board 
of  government,  duties  of  the  officers,  and  the  general  management  of 
the  academy.  Section  7  is  of  interest  because  therein  uit  is  further 
enacted  that,  for  the  greater  encouragement  of  this  institution  of  learn, 
ing,  the  estate  of  this  academy  lying  and  being  within  this  State  shall 
be  exempted  from  all  taxes." 

Such  was  the  purpose  of  the  founders.  The  realization  of  their  wishes 
will  be  seen  in  the  men  who  were  educated  there. 

The  beneficent  influence  of  the  academy  was  more  decidedly  in  the  direction  of 
general  improvement  of  the  community  in  character  and  acquirements  and  in  inspir- 
ing higher  aspirations  generally  than  in  affording  very  many  conspicuous  examples  of 
brilliant  careers.  Very  ma'ny  men  and  women  of  sterling  and  substantial  qualities 
owed  the  groundwork  of  their  education  to  the  old  Kent  Academy.1 

The  institution  was  established  •  in  its  present  location  in  the  year 
1802,  as  the  Kent  Academy.  From  its  founding  to  the  year  1839  it  was 
conducted  as  a  stock  academy.  It  then  passed  for  a  few  months  into 
private  hands,  but  upon  the  organization  of  the  Providence  (now  New 
England  Southern)  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in. 
1841,  it  became  the  property  of  the  conference  by  purchase.  Finally, 
in  1884,  it  was  repurchased  by  a  stock  company,  but  in  1888  the  stock 
was  surrendered.  It  is  now  conducted  by  a  board  of  thirteen  directors, 
six  of  whom  are  selected  by  the  corporation,  six  by  the  conference,  and 
one  by  the  alumni. 

During  all  the  transfers  and  changes  in  the  academy,  by  common 
agreement  the  same  grade  of  work  was  continued,  so  that  the  purpose 
of  the  founders  was  maintained. 

EARLY    HISTORY. 

The  first  teacher  was  Mr.  Abner  Alden,  and  his  assistant,  Jeremiah 
G.  Chadsey.  From  the  record  kept  by  Mr.  Chadsey  of  the  attendance 
the  following  will  show  the  number  of  scholars : 

Quarter  beginning  December  31,  1804,  72;  April  1,  1805,  122;  July  1, 
1805,  133;  September  30,  1805,  109;  December  30,  1805,  83;  March  31, 
1806, 101;  June,  1806, 127;  September  30, 1806, 100;  December,  1806,  95. 

Mr.  Chadsey  was  a  graduate  of  Washington  Academy,  and  has  been 
mentioned  more  fully  in  connection  with  that  institution.  The  follow- 
ing contract  will  show  how  the  expense  of  the  assistant  was  to  be  met. 

This  is  to  certify  that  Jeremiah  Chadsey  agrees  to  assist  me  in  teaching  the  school 
in  Kent  Academy,  for  which  I,  the  subscriber,  promise  to  give  him  two-fifths  of  the 
amount  of  the  bills  of  tuition  when  collected.  This  contract  to  commence  at  the 
beginning  of  the  second  quarter,  August  20,  1804,  and  to  continue  as  long  as  I  agree 
to  employ  him  and  he  agrees  to  serve  me. 

ABNER  ALDEN. 

1  Historical  address  by  Dr.  Henry  E.  Turner. 


60          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

Mr.  Chadsey  also  served  as  a  secretary  and  treasurer.  One  of  the 
bills  from  his  account  book  will  give  an  interesting  comparison  of 
prices : 

Dr.  Henry  Nlles. 

1804. 

Dec.  17.  To  the  tuition  of  his  sou 
22  weeks  and  contingent $3.  88 


Per  Contra  Cr. 


1805. 

May.    By  ploughing  1  lot 

June.  By  cash  paid  Mr.  Alden 32 

Nov.    By qts.  milk 


1805. 

To  do.  from  Dec.  31  to  Mch.  20  and  ||  1806. 

firewood 2. 40     Mar.  By    1    load  wood 1.75 

i  Apr.    By    1£  doz.  eggs 17 

I   May   By  12|  Ibs.  veal  at  4 50 

Mr.  Alden  was  a  man  of  good  qualifications  as  a  teacher  and  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  a  good  school.  Said  one  of  his  pupils: 

The  influence  of  Mr.  Alden  in  forming  the  morals  and  manners  of  his  pupils,  if  a 
boy  under  10  years  of  age  can  judge,  was  not  inferior  to  his  power  of  imparting 
knowledge.  To  my  niind,  and  I  knew  him  Avell  in  after  years,  he  was  the  ideal 
schoolmaster. 

For  tuition  in  1808  the  rates  were,  for  reading  and  spelling,  $2; 
reading,  writing,  and  spelling,  $2. 25  5  arithmetic,  with  bookkeeping, 
$2.50;  English  grammar,  $3;  composition  and  speaking,  $3;  Latin  and 
Greek  languages,  $3;  the  principles  of  astronomy  and  geography,  with 
the  use  of  the  globes,  $3.50. 

The  following  extract  appears  from  the  records  of  1816 : 

Resolved,  That  the  committee,  collectively  and  individually,  attend  at  least  once  in 
the  week  at  the  academy,  and  if  necessary  give  the  preceptor  the  friendly  and  can- 
did advice  respecting  the  government  and  instruction  of  the  academy. 

lie-solved,  That  the  Rev.  Daniel  Waldo  be  requested  to  call  occasionally  at  the 
academy,  to  afford  to  the  scholars  of  the  institution  such  advice  and  instruction  as 
bis  duty  as  a  clergyman  and  parental  kindness  may  dictate. 

Till  1820  the  institution  seems  to  have  been  no  pecuniary  gain  to  the 
proprietors.  That  same  year  it  was — 

Resolved,  That  the  secretary's  account  for  the  sum  of  three  dollars  be  paid  to  him 
for  recording  the  proceedings  of  the  trustees  from  the  founding  of  the  institution  to 
1820. 

Iii  1822  Nathan  Whiting  was  elected  preceptor. 

There  has  never  been  a  school  before  or  since  where  the  scholars  enjoyed  such  per- 
fect happiness  as  they  did  under  the  administration  of  Mr.  Whiting.  Although  he 
was  a  fine  classical  scholar,  possessing  an  abundance  of  general  knowledge  himself, 
he  had  very  little  faculty  to  communicate  it  to  others.  Being  rather  absent-minded 
and  very  un  willing  to  pun  ish  disobedience  or  neglect,  unfair  advantage  of  these  failings 
was  taken  andenjoyed  supremely.  Occasionally,  on  pleasant  summer  afternoons,  pupils 
were  allowed,  during  school  hours,  to  sit  on  the  front  steps  of  the  academy,  under  the 
pretense  of  studying  in  the  open  air,  where  they  would  amuse  themselves  in  composing 
satirical  poetry  on  their  teachers'  eccentricities,  and  squibs  on  each  other.  Yet  in 
spite  of  all  this,  some  learned  more  in  certain  branches  of  knowledge  during  Mr. 
Whiting's  administration  than  ever  before,  particularly  geography  and  general 
knowledge  of  the  world.  Previous  to  this  all  the  information  acquired  was  from 
Morse's  geography,  which  was  committed  to  memory  and  then  recited,  but  Mr.  Whit- 
ing taught  by  using  the  atlas  and  demonstration  with  the  terrestrial  globe.1 

1  History  of  East  Greenwich,  Dr.  D.  H.  Greene. 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          61 

TEXT-BOOKS. 

From  the  first  catalogue,  issued  in  1840,  the  list  of  teachers  is  taken. 
Eev.  David  G.  Allen,  principal:  J.  Newhall,  A.  B.,  languages  and  math- 
ematics ;  Miss  Lucy  G.  Eldridge,  preceptress;  Miss  Hannah  C.  Eld- 
ridge,  drawing  and  painting;  Miss  Anna  S.  Burge,  music.  The  course 
of  study  is  not  stated,  but  can  be  inferred  from  the  list  of  text-books, 
which  is  here  given. 

Smith's  grammar,  geography,  Adams'  arithmetic,  Davies'  arithmetic,  Legendre's 
geometry,  surveying,  Bailey's  algebra,  Olmsted's  school  philosophy,  Guy's  as- 
tronomy, Colt's  bookkeeping,  Mrs.  Lincoln's  botany,  Parley's  school  history,  Smellies' 
natural  history,  Jamieson's  rhetoric,  Abercrombie  on  the  intellectual  powers,  Jones' 
chemistry,  Worcester's  third  and  fourth  reading  books.  French— Bugard's  prac- 
tical teacher,  translator.  Latin— Goodrich's  Latin  lessons,  Adams'  Latin  grammar, 
Latin  reader,  Virgil.  Greek — Goodrich's'  Greek  exercises,  Fisk's  grammar,  Greek 
reader. 

Italian  and  Spanish. — The  common  introductory  books  to  these  languages.  For 
more  advanced  scholars  in  Latin  and  Greek  the  books  vary  to  accord  with  their 
after- course  of  study.  Those  used  thus  far  have  been  Livy,  Horace,  Tacitus, 
Xenophon's  Anabasis  and  Memorabilia. 

In  this  year,  1840,  the  above  were  the  text-books,  giving  an  idea  of 
the  grade  of  work  done.  The  catalogue  shows  an  attendance  of  108  : 
males,  52;  females,  56.  There  were  4  teachers  in  addition  to  the  prin- 
cipal. 

From  1840  various  principals  have  had  charge  of  the  academy.  In 
1847  the  academy  closed  with  only  7  students,  but  the  next  year  there 
was  a  return  to  its  old-time  prosperity.  From  the  list  of  principals 
some  names  will  appear  which  have  more  than  a  local  reputation. 
Abiier  Alden,  A.  M.  ;  Joseph  L.  Tillinghast,  A.  M.;  Aaron  Putnam, 
A.  M.;  Ezekiel  Eich,  A.  M.;  James  Underwood,  A.  M.;  Eev.  Daniel 
Waldo;  Benjamin  F.  Allen,  A.  M.;  Nathan  Whiting,  A.  M.;  Charles  H. 
Alden,  A.  M.;  Eev.  Ebenezer  Colernan;  Christopher  Eobinson,  A.  M.; 
Eev.  Henry  Edes;  Penuel  Corbett,  A.  M.;  George  W.  Greene,  A.  M.; 
Joseph  Harrington,  A.  M.;  Joshua  O.  Cobura,  A.  M.;  Thomas  P.  Eod- 
man,  A.  M.;  Eev.  James  Eichardson;  Eev.  Daniel  G.  Allen;  Eev.  Ben- 
jamin F.  Teft;  Eev.  George  F.  Pool;  Eev.  Daniel  G.  Allen;  George  B. 
Cone,  A.  M.;  Eev.  William  Bagnall;  Eev.  Eobert  Allyne;  Eev.  George 
W.  Quereau;  Eev.  Micah  J.  Talbot;  Eev.  Bernce  D.  Ames;  Eev.  James 
T.  Edwards;  Eev.  David  H.  Ela;  Eev.  Francis  D.  Blakeslee. 

The  academy  buildings  are  situated  on  an  eminence  overlooking  East 
Greenwich  Bay.  The  grounds  contain  5  acres,  and  here  are  Winsor 
House,  the  academy,  and  the  boarding  hall.  In  the  academy  building 
are  the  recitation  rooms,  library,  and  chapel.  In  this  building  are  the 
botanical,  miner  alogical,  and  geological  cabinets.  The  rooms  vary  in 
size,  according  to  the  departments  for  which  they  are  needed.  The 
chapel  is  commodious,  and  contains  a  pipe  organ.  In  this  hall  the 
public  exercises  and  entertainments  are^held. 


62  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

PROMINENT  GRADUATES. 

A  fair  estimate  of  the  work  of  an  institution  may  be  obtained  through 
the  men  who  have  been  graduated.  Among  the  graduates  of  this 
academy  have  been  men  in  representative  departments  of  public  and 
professional  life.  Hon.  Nelson  W.  Aldrich,  U.  S.  Senator;  William 
Sprague,  U.  S.  Senator,  and  one  of  the  war  governors ;  in  State  politics, 
Governor  William  Greene,  of  Warwick ;  Chief  Justices  Charles  Matte- 
son,  of  Coventry,  and  Pardon  E.  Tillinghast,  of  Pawtucket ;  Hon.  Henry 
T.  Sisson,  lieutenant-governor,  and  Hon.  Enos  Lapham,  the  present 
lieutenant-governor.  In  the  professions,  Rev.  Charles  H.  Payne,  D. 
D.,  atone  time  president  of  Ohio  Wesleyan  University;  William  F.  War- 
ren, president  of  Boston  University ;  Samuel  F.  Uphain,  of  Drew  Theo- 
logical Seminary;  Prof.  Eben  Tourjee,  of  the  Boston  Conservatory  of 
Music;  Prof.  Alonzo  Williams,  of  Brown  University. 

Among  names  prominent  in  local  reputation  appear  Hon.  Samuel  H. 
Cross,  Hon.  Frederic  C.  Sayles,  Hon.  Eobert  Henry,  Hiram  B.  Ayles- 
worth,  and  the  celebrated  boatbuilders,  of  Bristol,  Charles  F.  Herres- 
hoft'  and  Charles  F.  Herreshoff,  jr.  Any  such  roll  must  be  incomplete, 
but  this  institution  seems  to  have  received  grateful  recognition  at  the 
hands  of  its  graduates,  testifying  that  their  mature  judgment  approves 
the  educational  methods  and  advantages  of  their  youth. 

COURSE    OF  STUDY. 

The  course  of  study  provides  for  the  classical,  English,  elocution,  art, 
music,  commercial,  and  normal  departments.  The  instruction  in  the 
commercial  course  is  made  as  practical  as  possible,  by  having  one  part 
of  the  room  arranged  as  in  bankers'  and  brokers'  offices.  The 
students  take  charge  of  these,  thereby  getting  training  by  object 
lessons.  Pupils  are  here  prepared  for  college,  and  the  studies  taught 
are  those  of  preparatory  schools.  A  rounded  education  is  afforded  in 
case  the  student  does  not  intend  to  pursue  his  education  beyond  this 
institution. 


ACADEMIES    AND    PREPARATORY    SCHOOLS. 


63 


College  preparatory — Latin  scientific. 

The  three  following  courses  are  as  comprehensive  and  thorough  as  those  of  most 
female  colleges.  Gentlemen,  as  well  as  ladies,  who  may  wish  to  take  a  systematic 
academic  course  can  pursue  either  of  these  to  graduation  and  receive  a  diploma. 

This  course  is  arranged  to  give  a  preparation  for  the  Latin  scientific  course  in 
college. 


Fall. 

"Winter. 

Spring. 

3 

Latin  grammar     and    les- 

Latin CsBaar 

5 

h 

^ 

sons  0  5 

Algebra  

5 

a 

c^ 

Physics  or  physiology  5 

Modern  history  

5 

United  States  history 

^ 

English  readings 

1 

English  readings  and  spell- 

English  readings  and  spell- 

i 

Caesar,  Cicero,  and  Latin  .  . 

4 

Cicero  and  Latin  prose  5 
French  or  German     .         .5 

Cicero  and  Latin  prose  .  .  . 
French  or  German 

..  5 
5 

0 

*> 

Geometry  5 

Rhetoric  or  astronomy 

5 

1 

"£ 

1 

S 

|U 

Cicero 

o 

.("Eneid                                       3 

5 

1 

2£neid  and  eclogues 

Georgics  5 

Latin  review         .... 

5 

| 

Mathematical  review             3 

5 

g 

1 

Chemistry  5 

English  readings 

1 

1 

Constitution  of  the  United 

J2 

College  preparatory — classical. 

Wesleyan  and  Brown  universities  and  other  colleges  admit  our  students  without 
examination  upon  certificate  from  the  principal. 


Fall. 

Winter. 

Spring. 

i 

Latin    grammar     and   les- 

Latin    grammar    and    les- 

Latin  Csesar 

5 

t» 

i- 

5 

8 

English  grammar 

x, 

Arithmetic,     mental     and 

Arithmetic  completed 

5 

United  States  history    

5 

written  5 

English  readings  

1 

English  readings  and  spell- 
ing .  . 

1 

Physics  or  physiology  5 
English  readings  and  spell- 

iiie                                         1 

1 

Caesar,   Cicero,   and   Latin 
prose  

<\ 

Cicero  and  Latin  prose  5 
Greek    grammar    and   les- 

Cicero  and  Latin  prose  . 
Greek  Anabasis 

..  5 
5 

a  h 

5 

sons    .  . 

5 

Algebra  .  .     .  .  5 

English  readings 

f->    >j 

English  readings                    1 

.2 

1 

p 

English  readings  

1 

Si 

Cicero 

a 

Virgil's  .JSneid      ...            3 

JEneid     .... 

>s 

Anabasis  and  Greek  prose. 

3 

Anabasis  and  Greek  prose.  2 

Anabasis  

.    .     4 

£ 

French 

French                                       5 

Rhetoric 

S 

Geometry  

5 

Geometry  5 

Grecian  history  

3 

English  readings 

1 

English  readings                    1 

S 

b 

.ZEneid  and  eclogues 

5 

Georgics                                   5 

Latin  review 

5 

1 

Homer....         

Homer  5 

Greek  review  

5 

1 

Mathematical  review             3 

5 

£ 

Grecian  history          

1 

Roman  history  1 

English  readings  

1 

1 

English  readings       ...          1 

64          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND 

College  preparatory — scientific. 

This  course  is  arranged  to  give  preparation  for  the  scientific  course  in  college  and 
for  schools  of  technology. 

In  this  department  special  attention  is  paid  to  practical  work  in  the  laboratory. 
The  students  themselves  perform  most  of  the  experiments  in  physics  and  chemistry, 
and  pursue  more  or  less  of  original  investigations  in  geology,  botany,  and  astronomy. 


Junior  year. 

Fall. 

Winter. 

Spring. 

United  States  history. 
Algebra. 
Constitution  of  the  United 
States. 
English  readings  and    spell- 
ing (1). 

Physics. 
Algebra. 
Physiology. 
Free-hand  drawing. 

Modern  history. 
Algebra. 
Rhetoric. 
Free-hand  drawing. 

Middle  year. 

French  or  German. 
Geometry. 
Zoology  or  physics. 
English  readings  (1). 

French  or  German. 
Geometry. 
Chemistry. 
English  readings  (1). 
Mechanical  drawing.* 

French  or  German. 
Logic  or  trigonometry. 
Astronomy. 
English  reading!  (1). 
Mechanical  drawing.* 

Senior  year. 

Geology  or  surveying. 
Mental  philosophy. 
English  readings  (1). 

English  literature. 
Evidences  of  Christianity  or 
analytical  geometry. 
Political  economy. 
English  readings  (1). 

Moral  philosophy. 
Botany. 

Applied  physics. 
English  readings  (1). 

Not  required  for  graduation. 


Academic. 


Junior  year. 

Fall. 

Winter. 

Spring. 

Latin  grammar  and  lessons. 
Algebra. 
United  States  history. 
English  readings   and   spell- 
ing (1). 

Latin  grammar  and  lessons. 
Algebra. 
Physics  or  physiology. 
English  readings  and  spell- 
ing (1). 

Caesar. 
Algebra. 
Modern  history. 
English  readings  (1). 

Middle 
year. 

French  or  German. 
Geometry. 
Zoology. 
English  readings  (1). 

French  or  German. 
Geometry. 
Chemistry. 
English  readings  (1). 

French  or  German. 
Logic. 
Rhetoric. 
English  readings  (1). 

s 

Geology. 
Mental  philosophv. 
Constitution  of   the    United 
States. 
English  readings  (1). 

English  literature. 
Evidences  of  Christianity. 
Political  economy. 
English  readings  (1). 

Moral  philosophy. 
Botany. 
Astronomy. 
English  readings  (1). 

ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS. 


65 


Art. 

The  studio  is  large  and  well  lighted.  It  is  furnished  with  all  needful  appliances 
for  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  studies  of  this  department. 

Occasional  lectures  on  art  and  an  occasional  visit  to  the  art  galleries  of  Boston 
will  be  accorded  the  students  in  this  department. 


Junior  year. 

Fall. 

Winter. 

Spring. 

Arithmetic. 
Geography. 
Drawings  from  patterns  and 
casts. 
English  readings  and   spell- 
ing (1). 

Arithmetic. 
English  grammar. 
Drawing  from  casts. 
Perspective  drawing. 
English  readings  and   spell- 
ing (1). 

Arithmetic. 
English  grammar. 
Perspective  drawing. 
Architectural  drafting. 
English  readings  (1). 

Middle  year. 

French  or  German. 
Drawing  from  nature. 
Water-color  painting. 
Illumination  and  lettering. 
English  readings  (1). 

French  or  German. 
Water-color  painting. 
Drawing'from  life. 
Crayon  portraiture. 
English  readings  (1). 

French  or  German. 
Oil  painting. 
Drawing  from  life. 
Botany. 
English  readings  (1). 

Senior  year. 

United  States  history. 
History  of  tine  arts. 
Oil  painting. 
India  ink  and  sepia  drawing. 
English  readings  (1). 

English  literature. 
History  of  fine  arts. 
Oil  painting. 
Drawing  in  colored  crayons. 
English  readings  (1). 

Rhetoric. 
Art  criticism. 
Oil  painting. 
Drawing  from  life. 
English  readings  (1). 

Essays  upon  art  will  be  written  during  the  second  and  third  years. 

Another  language  may  be  substituted  for  French  or  German. 

China  decorating  and  waxwork  are  taught  independently  of  the  course. 

Elocution. 

This  course  is  designed  to  so  train  the  mind,  voice,  and  body  as  to  secure  natural- 
ness and  effectiveness  in  delivery,  and  to  prepare  the  student  for  any  position  in 
which  elocutionary  excellence  is  desirable.  Personal  instruction  is  made  a  special 
feature  of  the  course.  Frequent  opportunities  are  given  for  the  recitation  in  public 
of  illustrative  selections. 


Junior  year. 

Fall. 

Winter. 

Spring. 

Vocal  technique. 
Speech,  defects  and  remedies. 
United  States  history. 
English  readings. 

Vocal  technique. 
Physical  harmony. 
Physiology. 
English  readings. 

Vocal  expression. 
Studies  in  emotion. 
Modern  history. 
English  readings. 

® 

-i 
%*> 

Yocal  gymnastics. 
Analysis  of  gesture. 
French  or  German. 
English  readings. 

Vocal  effects. 
Gesture. 
French  or  Germ  an. 
English  readings. 

Forensic  oratory. 
Personation. 
French  or  German. 
English  readings. 

Senior  year. 

Delsarte  philosophy  of  expres- 
sion. 
Dramatic  studies. 
Moral  philosophy. 
English  readings. 

Principles    and    methods    of 
teaching. 
Criticism  of  authors. 
English  literature. 
English  readings. 

Applied  methods. 
General  review. 
Rhetoric. 
English  readings. 

Normal. 

The  object  of  this  course  is  to  furnish  instruction,  in  both  the  theory  and  practice 
of  teaching,  to  those  who  can  not  well  pursue  a  full  course  in  a  regular  normal  school. 
A  thoroughly  qualified  and  experienced  teacher,  a  graduate  of  one  of  the  first 
1123  n  i 5 


66          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

normal  schools  of  the  country,  has  charge  of  this  department.  The  intermediate 
department  of  the  academy  furnishes  surperior  opportunities  for  practice  in  teach- 
ing, under  the  direction  of  this  normal  teacher,  such  as  is  afforded  l>y  the  very  best 
State  normal  institutions. 

The  course  of  study  is  definitely  outlined  and  adapted  to  those  for  whom  it  ia 
designed.  A  certificate  is  given  to  those,  who,  in  the  judgment  of  the  faculty, 
are  thoroughly  qualified  to  teach. 

A  community  where  an  institution  of  learning  is  located  should  be 
the  better  for  its  presence  and  is  justified  in  securing  what  it  can  from 
it.  At  the  academy  what  are  called  "  oratoricals  "  are  held  each  Friday 
evening.  It  is  the  regular  rhetorical  exercise  of  those  in  that  depart- 
ment, and  to  these  the  townspeople  are  invited.  In  addition  to  this  a 
course  of  lectures  and  literary  and  musical  entertainments  are  main- 
tained through  the  winter.  By  such  means  the  people  feel  that  they  are 
welcome  to  the  advantages  which  such  an  institution  can  share  with 
them,  and  its  sphere  of  usefulness  is  so  much  the  more  increased. 

SMITHFIELD   SEMINARY,  LATER   LAPHAM   INSTITUTE. 

SMITHVILLE  SEMINARY,  1839-1863.    LAPHAM  INSTITUTE,  1863-1875,   NORTH  SCITUATE. 

Smithville  Seminary,  afterwards  Lapham  Institute,  was  founded  by 
the  Rhode  Island  Association  of  Free  Baptists.  It  was  designed  to 
give  a  liberal  education  to  youth  of  both  sexes.  At  the  time  of  its  found- 
ing in  1839,  the  Free  Baptists  had  only  two  academies^one  in  Maine 
and  the  other  in  New  Hampshire.  The  Rhode  Island  Association  was 
desirous  of  having  an  academy  in  this  State.  To  secure  this  object, 
the  Rev.  Hiram  Brooks  was  called  from  the  West  and  was  empowered 
to  solicit  subscriptions.  His  faith  in  the  prospects  of  the  new  institution 
as  a  paying  investment  was  far  stronger  than  his  business  methods ; 
for  while  he  was  successful  in  raising  the  sum  of  $20,000,  the  manner 
in  which  it  was  done  was  unfortunate.  He  secured  subscriptions  from 
people  of  small  means,  who  gave  him  nearly  all  their  savings  and  who 
were  promised  a  return  of  at  least  7  per  cent,  possibly  10  per  cent. 
The  money  raised  was  invested  at  once  in  the  necessary  buildings,  and 
it  was  impossible  to  obtain  any  such  return  on  the  capital.  Subscri- 
bers never  received  any  dividends,  and  the  knowledge  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  money  was  raised  hampered  the  institution  when  it  needed 
help  in  later  years.  The  buildings  are  three  in  number;  one  large  cen- 
tral building,  with  two  wings  separated  nearly  20  feet  from  the  central 
one  by  connecting  halls.  The  recitation  rooms,  offices,  dining  room, 
and  apartments  for  the  faculty  are  in  the  central  building,  and  the 
wings  are  the  dormitories  for  the  boys  and  girls,  respectively. 

HOSEA   QTJIMBY. 

In  the  autumn  of  1839  the  school  opened.  The  corporation  consisted 
of  a  board  of  trustees  and  an  examining  committee.  The  first  prin- 
cipal was  Rev.  Hosea  Quimby,  who  came  from  the  Maine  Academy. 


ACADEMIES    AND    PREPARATORY    SCHOOLS.  67 

He  was  assisted  by  Mr.  Weld,  Miss  Johnson,  and  Miss  Weld.  In  a 
short  time  it  was  found  that  the  first  three  named  instructors  could  do 
all  the  necessary  work,  so  the  academic  staff  was  reduced  to  that  num- 
ber. For  the  next  four  years  that,  was  the  corps  of  instructors.  In 
1845  Quimby  had  as  the  assistant  in  the  male  department  A.  E.  Brad- 
bury, and  in  the  female,  Caroline  L.  Bradbury.  Two  other  teachers 
had  the  primary  department,  and  Mr,  A.  L.  Meader  the  music.  The 
institution  was  now  well  started,  and  the  next  few  years  represented  as 
high  a  period  of  prosperity  as  the  school  ever  attained.  The  catalogue 
for  the  year  1845  shows  an  attendance  of  132  in  the  male,  101  in  the 
female,  and  87  in  the  primary  department.  Outside  of  Rhode  Island 
there  were  representatives  from  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New 
Hampshire,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  and  New  York. 

( OTKSE    OF    STUDY. 

The  catalogue  for  the  year  1845  states  that  this  institution  presents 
to  those  youths,  who  may  resort  here,  an  opportunity  for  studying  the 
Greek,  Latin,  French,  Spanish,  German,  Hebrew,  and  Italian  languages, 
the  various  branches  embraced  in  English  literature,  the  different  nat- 
ural sciences,  mathematics,  metaphysics,  etc.  Instruction  is  also 
given  in  drawing,  painting,  instrumental  and  vocal  music.  The  design 
is  to  afford  means  for  fitting  students  to  enter  college,  or  for  giving 
those  who  do  not  take  a  collegiate  course  the  privilege  of  getting  a 
thorough,  practical  education.  The  institution  takes  rather  a  medium 
stand  between  a  college  and  a  common  academy;  hence,  several  of  the 
regular  college  studies,  as  well  as  the  more  common  branches,  are  here 
pursued,  giving  good  opportunity  to  all  who  wish  to  fit  themselves  for 
the  great  duties  of  life. 

The  following  books  were  used: 

Greek:  Goodrich's  Greek  grammar,  Anthon's  Greek  reader  and 
lessons,  Greek  Testament,  Xenophoii's  Anabasis,  Donnegan's  Lexi- 
con. 

Latin :  Andrews  and  Stoddard's  Latin  grammar,  Andrews's  Latin 
reader,  Ainsworth's  or  Leverett's  dictionary,  Caesar's  Commentaries, 
Anthon's  Sallust,  and  Cicero,  Virgil  (Cooper's),  Horace,  Livy,  Ovid,  etc. 

French:  Surault's  grammar,  Belliger's  phrases,  first  class  book,  Life 
of  Washington,  Racine,  Boyer's  or  Meadow's  dictionary,  etc. 

Spanish:  Sale's  grammar,  El  Traductor  Espafiol,  Novelas  Espano- 
las,  Don  Quixote,  Neuman's  dictionary. 

Italian :  Bachi's  grammar  and  tables,  Prose  Italiane,  Moralle  No  vale, 
11  Tesoreto,  Dello  Scolare,  Italiano,  Bachi's  phrases  and  dialogues, 
Graglia's  dictionary. 

Hebrew :  Seixa's  manual,  Stuart's  grammar  and  christomathy,  Gibbs's 
Lexicon,  Gesenius's  Lexicon,  Hebrew  Bible. 

Mathematics:  Sherwin's  algebra,  Davies'  algebra,  and  Legendre, 
Bowditch's  navigation,  Flint's  survey. 


68  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

Natural  Sciences :  Comstock's  elements  of  chemistry,  natural  philos- 
ophy, mineralogy  and  geology,  Mrs.  Lincoln's  botany,  Burritt's  Geog- 
raphy of  the  Heavens,  Poe's  conchology,  Combe's  physiology. 

English :  Fisk's  grammar,  Porter's  rhetorical  reader,  Pope's  Essay, 
Ypung's  Night  Thoughts,  Davies'  arithmetic,  Emerson's  third  part, 
Smith's  geography,  Harris's  bookkeeping,  Goodrich's  History  of  the 
United  States,  Worcester's  history,  American  Expositor,  Webster's 
dictionary. 

Intellectual  and  moral  sciences,  etc. :  Watts  on  the  Mind,  Upham's 
mental  philosophy,  Newman's  rhetoric,  Hodge's  logic,  Wayland's  moral 
philosophy,  Wayland's  political  economy,  Paley's  Evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity, Paley's  Theology,  with  Paxton's  notes. 

Rhetorical  exercises,  etc :  Besides  a  weekly  rhetorical  exercise,  consist- 
ing of  composition  and  declamation,  there  are  various  benevolent  and 
literary  societies  designed  to  promote  the  moral  as  well  as  the  intellec- 
tual welfare  of  the  youths  who  may  wish  to  enjoy  their  benefit. 

EXPENSES. 

For  tuition  in  English  grammar,  arithmetic,  reading,  writing,  geog- 
raphy, Watt's  history,  rhetoric,  moral  science,  or  political  economy,  $4 
were  charged.  For  each  of  the  higher  branches  and  languages,  75 
cents  were  charged  until  amounting  to  $5.50,  but  no  student  was 
required  to  pay  more  than  that,  however  many  studies  he  might 
take,  except  in  case  of  music,  drawing,  and  painting.  The  expense  of 
these  varied  according  to  the  expense  the  institution  incurred  in 
furnishing  them.  At  present  50  cents  is  charged  for  vocal  music  and 
$6  for  instrumental,  including  the  use  of  piano. 

For  board  those  who  sit  at  the  cold-water  table  were  required  to  pay 
$1.12J  per  week,  at  the  other  $1.32.  (The  table  at  which  was  furnished 
a  vegetable  diet  and  cold  water  was  called  "  the  cold-water  table."  At 
the  other  were  served  tea,  coffee,  and  meat.)  To  those  young  ladies 
who  take  care  of  their  own  rooms  an  allowance  of  12  J  cents  is  made 
per  week,  so  that  to  them  the  board  comes  to  $1  per  week  at  one  table 
and  $1.20  at  the  other.  Hence,  those  females  who  are  disposed  to 
engage  in  domestic  labor,  such  as  to  keep  their  own  rooms  in  order 
and  wash  and  iron  for  themselves,  will  save  on  their  expense,  and  there- 
fore actually  earn,  from  25  to  50  cents  per  week.  The  arrangement 
when  first  going  into  operation  was  to  allow  males  the  privilege  of 
taking  care  of  their  own  rooms  as  well  as  the  females,  but  it  was  soon 
found  that  this  would  not  answer,  as  they,  not  generally  being  accus- 
tomed to  such  kind  of  business,  could  not  attend  to  it  so  as  to  keep 
their  part  of  the  building  in  proper  order.  Many  would  b^  enabled  to 
do  this,  but  generally  to  the  contrary. 

For  room  rent  and  furniture,  students  are  charged  from  $1.50  to  $2.50 
each  per  quarter.  Those  who  have  their  washing  done  by  the  semi- 
nary pay  3  cents  per  piece.  Students  furnish  their  own  lights  and 


ACADEMIES   AND    PREPARATORY    SCHOOLS.  69 

pay  for  warming  their  rooms,  the  actual  expense  of  this  being  ap- 
portioned among  them.  The  design  is  to  bring  all  the  bills  as  low  as 
will  comport  with  having  such  a  school  as  the  wants  of  the  commu- 
nity require.  The  whole  expense  of  a  student  will  vary  from  $18  to 
$26  a  quarter. 

For  the  express  benefit  of  those  who  are  to  go  out  for  the  purpose  of 
common-school  teaching,  especial  instruction  will  be  given  in  the  fall 
terms,  and  at  other  times  if  required.  The  class  will  receive  a  course 
of  lectures  on  the  subject  of  school  keeping. 

The  year  is  divided  into  4  terms,  of  twelve  weeks  each,  commenc- 
ing as  near  as  practicable  with  the  different  seasons  of  the  year. 

Quimby  continued  the  school  till  1854  when  it  closed  with  only  about 
20  students.  He  is  described  by  one  who  taught  with  him  as  a  man  of 
generous  and  benevolent  disposition,  who  did  all  in  his  power  to  help 
needy  and  deserving  students.  In  his  own  affairs,  he  saved  little  if 
anything  for  himself,  but  spent  it  on  the  school.  He  was  a  fine 
mathematician,  but  had  no  taste  for  the  languages.  He  rented  the 
school  property  to  Samuel  P.  Coburn,  who  became  the  principal.  The 
school  again  flourished  and  for  the  year  ending  1855  the  catalogue 
records  an  attendance  of  77  males  and  55  females.  There  were  6  assist- 
ants. The  expense  of  tuition  was  a  little  higher.  English  branches, 
per  term  $5.00;  higher  English  branches  $5.50  $  Latin  and  Greek, 
$6.50;  board  at  the  seminary,  $1.90  per  week,  or  board  and  washing 
(allowing  7  pieces  per  week)  $2.10.  He  kept  the  school  for  two  years, 
when  it  was  closed  for  a  number  of  years. 

From  the  foregoing  resume  it  will  be  seen  that  the  curriculum  was 
practical  and  of  a  high  grade.  The  results  were  shown  in  the  admis- 
sion of  its  graduates  to  the  New  England  colleges.  This  high  standard 
could  not  be  maintained  from  the  natural  income  of  the  school.  The 
institution  had  no  endowment  fund,  because  all  the  money  raised  at  the 
outset  had  been  invested  in  buildings  and  furnishings.  In  1850  the 
property,  which  was  owned  by  the  bank,  and  was  in  debt  to  the  amount 
of  $5,000,  was  put  up  at  auction.  There  was  an  arrangement  made-  by 
twenty-five  of  the  Free  Will  Baptists  to  subscribe  $200  each  and  secure 
the  property.  This  movement  was  not  carried  out,  for  Mr.  Quimby, 
the  principal,  bought  the  property  himself.  Quimby  was  assisted  by 
six  teachers  at  the  close  of  the  year  ending  July  17, 1851.  The  number 
of  pupils  was  152 ;  males  79,  females  73.  There  was  the  same  grade  of 
work  as  in  1845,  and  civil  engineering  was  added  to  the  course. 

The  period  of  the  greatest  prosperity  of  the  school  appears  to  have 
been  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Quimby,  from  1844  to  1848.  The 
revival  of  this  institution  commenced  with  the  year  1863,  when  the 
school  took  the  name  of  Lapham  Institute. 

CHANGE    OF   NAME. 

In  1861  one  of  the  former  teachers,  who  had  left  the  school  to  enter 
the  ministry,  came  back  to  Providence.  He  was  interested  in  the  old 


70  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

seminary  and  inquired  into  its  existing  status.  This  lie  found  was  not 
encouraging,  for  the  buildings  had  been  standing  unoccupied  and  were 
each  y£ar  falling  more  and  more  into  dilapidation.  He  called  to  see 
some  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  Free  Baptist  Association,  but  they 
took  a  gloomy  view  of  the  situation.  In  thinking  over  the  problem 
the  idea  occurred  to  him  of  having  what  he  called  a  "  jubilee  meeting," 
at  which  the  old  teachers  and  graduates  should  assemble  and  consult 
for  the  best  advancement  of  the  seminary. 

He  suggested  the  idea  to  the  Rev.  George  T.  Day,  and  was  asked  by 
him  when  he  would  purpose  to  have  such  a  jubilee.  "The  Fourth  of 
July,  "he  replied.  "  No,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Day, "  that  won't  do.  We  must  have 
the  institution  opened  and  in  running  order  by  the  1st  of  August. " 
It  was  decided  to  hold  a  meeting  the  22d  of  February,  18G3.  Addresses 
were  to  be  made  by  Rev.  George  T.  Day  and  Prof.  Thomas  L.  Angell 
on  behalf  of  the  alumni,  and  Mr.  Quimby  was  to  represent  the  teachers. 
The  22d  of  February  that  year  was  a  very  stormy  day,  and  snch  a  severe 
snow  storm  prevailed  that  there  was  no  suitable  conveyance  to  the 
seminary,  which  was  located  10  miles  from  Providence.  The  exercises 
were  accordingly  postponed  to  the  next  day.  When  the  company  then 
assembled  it  was  announced  that  the  Hon.  Benedict  Lapham  had  offered 
to  buy  the  property  if  the  association  would  put  it  in  repair.  The  offer 
of  Mr.  Lapham  was  accepted,  and  $5,000  was  raised  by  the  associa- 
tion. In  recognition  of  this  action  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Lapham  the 
name  of  the  seminary  was  changed  to  Lapham  Institute. 

Under  the  new  regime  Rev.  Benjamin  F.  Hayes  was  chosen  principal, 
and  the  school  was  successfully  conducted  by  him.  He  was  called  to 
the  chair  of  mental  and  moral  philosophy  at  Bates  College.  At  the 
close  of  his  last  year  the  attendance  was  207.  In  the  catalogue  for 
that  year  an  interesting  footnote  is  made  on  the  subject  of  expense, 
that  "in  consequence  of  the  high  prices  now  prevailing,  10  per  cent  is 
for  the  present  added  to  the  term  bills." 

Prof.  Hayes  was  succeeded  by  his  assistant,  Thomas  L.  Angell,  he, 
too  remaining  but  two  years,  leaving  to  accept  the  chair  of  modern 
languages  at  Bates  College.  The  next  principal,  George  H.  Ricker, 
remained  seven  years,  and  under  him  the  school  enjoyed  an  enviable 
reputation  for  the  admirable  classical  training  it  afforded.  He,  too, 
was  called  away,  to  accept  a  professorship  in  Latin  and  Greek  at 
Hillsdale  College,  Michigan.  It  speaks  well  for  the  grade  of  the 
academy,  that  three  successive  principals  had  been  called  to  professor- 
ships in  colleges.  Prof.  Ricker  left  in  1874.  He  was  followed  by  A.  G. 
Moulton,  who  died  soon  after  the  close  of  his  first  year. 

DEPARTMENTS    OF    STUDY. 

The  last  catalogue  issued  under  his  principalship  offered  the  follow- 
ing courses  and  departments  of  study :  (1)  A  college  preparatory  course  5 
(2)  A  ladies  collegiate  course;  (3)  an  English  and  scientific  course ; 
(4)  a  department  in  painting  and  drawing ;  (5)  a  music  department. 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          71 

The  summary  of  students  in  these  courses  were:  Classical,  14 ;  Eng- 
lish, 70;  musical,  27.  The  same  grade  of  instruction  was  maintained, 
but  a  more  modern  series  of  text-books  had  been  introduced.  » 

The  last  man  to  have  the  charge  of  the  school  was  W.  S.  Stockbridge, 
who  remained  until  the  school  was  closed,  nor  has  it  been  resumed 
since.  At  this  school  nearly  1,500  students  have  been  educated  for  all 
pursuits  and  professions.  The  class  of  students  which  it  gathered 
within  its  walls  appreciated  the  advantages  of  an  education,  because 
they  had  to  work  for  them.  For  them  there  was  no  royal  road  to  learn- 
ing. 

As  is  usually  the  case,  the  majority  of  the  graduates  have  made 
for  themselves  a  local  reputation,  but  among  those  more  widely  known 
are  James  B.  Angell  (Brown  University  ?49)  president  of  Michigan 
University;  ex-Governor  Henry  Howard,  of  Rhode  Island,  and  his 
brother,  lieutenant-go  venor;  Prof.  Thomas  L.  Angell,  of  Bates  Col- 
lege; Rev.  George  T.  Day. 

The  private  schools  for  boys  have  maintained  a  high  grade  in  the 
State,  and  many  of  them  have  prepared  students  for  college.  Some  of 
these  schools  receive  only  day  pupils  and  others  are  boarding  schools. 
Among  the  former  is  the  English  and  classical  school  in  Providence. 
Since  its  organization,  in  February,  18G4,  the  whole  number  of  boys 
admitted  has  been  2,150,  of  whom  250  were  fitted  for  college  and  nearly 
100  went  directly  to  scientific,  medical,  and  law  schools.  This  school  is 
the  largest.  Among  the  others  was  the  Union  Hall  School,  under  the 
management  of  Samuel  Austin.  This  was  established  in  1847  and 
flourished  till  1867.  In  1852  girls  were  admitted.  The  Fruit  Hill 
School,  with  Mr.  Stanton  Belden  as  its  last  proprietor,  was  a  successful 
boarding  school  for  boys  and  fitted  students  for  the  New  England  col- 
leges, besides  offering  instruction  in  navigation  and  surveying. 

The  Rev.  Charles  H.  Wheeler  had  a  private  school  for  boys  and  pre- 
pared students  for  Brown  and  the  New  England  colleges.  There  were 
other  private  schools  for  boys  in  the  State,  but  they  were  on  a  smaller 
scale. 

SMITIIFIELl)    ACADEMY,    UNION   VILLAGE,   1810-1813. 

The  beginning  of  this  academy  was  due  to  the  labors  of  Elisha 
Thornton.  He  was  one  of  the  associates  of  Moses  Brown  in  his  estab- 
lishment of  the  Friends'  school,  in  1784,  at  Portsmouth.  Thornton 
taught  at  his  academy  for  thirty  years,  and  removed  to  New  Bedford 
about  the  beginning  of  this  century.  Till  1808  the  educational  move- 
ments were  spasmodic.  In  that  year  was  incorporated  uThe  Sniithfield 
Academic  Society,"  Nicholas  Brown  being  one  of  the  incorporators. 
The  labors  of  Thornton  in  the  preceding  generation  were  now  producing 
results  in  the  petition  of  Peleg  Arnold,  Richard  Steere,  Ezekiel  Coin- 
stock,  Joel  Aldrich,  John  W.  C.  Baxter,  and  David  Aldrich  to  be  made 
a  body  corporate  by  the  name  of  the  "  Trustees  of  Sniithfield  Acad- 


72          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

• 

emy."  This  petition  was  granted  at  the  February  session  of  the  assem- 
bly, 1810.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  trustees  the  following  officers 
were  fleeted:  President,  Peleg  Arnold;  vice-president,  Joel  Aldrich; 
treasurer,  Richard  Steere;  secretary,  David  Aldrich. 

^s  usual  in  those  days,  the  money  was  raised  by  lottery.  Two 
attempts  were  unsuccessful,  but  an  arrangement  was  made  with  Joel 
Aldrich  so  that  the  necessary  funds  were  raised.  The  building  was  of 
two  stories,  the  scholars  being  in  the  main  room.  When  the  school 
increased  the  assistants  had  their  special  classes  in  the  small  rooms. 

This  school  was  more  than  an  academy  in  name,  and  its  grade  was 
that  of  the  preparatory  school  for  the  New  England  colleges.  From 
1835  to  1850  the  school  was  very  strong  in  science  under  the  impulse 
given  it  by  Prof.  Bushee.  There  was  an  attendance  of  many  scholars 
who  on  leaving  would  complete  their  education ;  hence  for  such  there 
was  an  all-round  course  of  study.  The  first  teacher  was  David  Aldrich, 
followed  by  Josiah  Clark.  Then  John  Thornton,  the  son  of  Elisha,  had 
the  school  for  six  years.  Among  other  teachers  were  Ward  Wilson, 
George  D.  Prentice,  and  Christopher  Eobinson.  At  one  period  of  the 
school  previous  to  1830  there  was  no  settled  teacher,  and  various  ones 
tried  it.  The  year  1830  marks  the  beginning  of  the  period  of  greatest 
prosperity.  The  interest  of  the  Society  of  Friends  in  the  academy  may 
account  for  the  fact  that  students  came  here  from  the  South.  From 
1831  there  were  arrangements  made  for  those  scholars  who  wished  to 
board  in  the  principal's  home  and  in  the  homes  of  some  of  the  towns- 
people. The  price  of  tuition  was  $9  per  quarter,  and  board  $2.50  per 
week. 

In  the  case  of  Smithfield  Academy,  as  of  so  many  others,  its  success 
is  largely  due  to  the  energy  of  one  man,  who  came  to  the  academy  in 
the  autumn  of  1830.  It  had  had  successful  teachers  before,  but  from 
his  interest  and  long  connection  with  the  school  he  brought  it  up  to 
its  highest  standard. 

PROF.    JAMES    BUSHEE. 

He  was  born  in  Smithfield  October  15,  1805.  Till  his  eighteenth  year 
his  education  was  obtained  at  the  public  school  in  his  native  place.  He 
wanted  a  higher  education,  so  he  spent  two  years  at  the  Friends7 
school.  On  graduation  he  obtained  a  position  to  teach  in  Somerset  and 
also  in  Fall  Eiver.  In  1830  he  returned  to  Woonsocket  and  opened  a 
public  school  in  Union  Village,  in  the  Smithfield  Academy.  The  next 
year  he  opened  at  the  same  place  a  boarding  school.  His  connection 
with  the  Smithfield  Academy  is  of  chief  interest. 

From  personal  recollections  by  his  old  pupils  he  is  described  as  being 
a  man  of  spare  stooping  form,  giving  an  impression  of  greater  height 
than  he  really  had : 

He  reminded  one  mucli  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  both  in  the  style  of  features  and  in 
the  fact  that  acquaintance  with,  him  invariably  removed  the  impression  at  first 
sight  unfavorable  and  left  a  far  fairer  one  produced  by  a  knowledge  of  the  noble 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          73 

mind  and  true  Christian  charity  of  the  character  that  was  behind  it.  His  kindliness 
of  heart  often  inclined  him  to  help  those  scholars  who  were  anxious  to  attend  his 
school  but  could  not  pay  full  tuition.  I  know  of  several  cases  wheie  he  charged 
them  nothing,  and  others  not  more  than  half  the  regular  price  for  tuition,  when 
at  the  same  time  the  money  was  much  needed.  A  longing  for  education  was  always 
enough  to  enlist  his  sympathy  and  aid. 

Begarding  his  moral  character : 

I  wish  to  add  my  tribute  of  appreciation  and  praise  for  the  precepts  which  I 
received  at  his  hands  of  a  moral  character.  You,  sir  (the  professor),  taught  me  the 
importance  of  discriminating  between  right  and  wrong;  you,  sir,  taught  me  the 
importance  of  being  truthful  and  upright;  you,  sir,  taught  me  to  honor  character; 
and  if  I  have  accomplished  anything  thus  far  in  life  it  is  due  in  no  small  degree  to 
this  instruction. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  daily  session  he  would  tell  the  school  to  put 
away  their  books,  for  he  wanted  .to  have  some  play.  The  play  was  a 
list  of  figures  which  he  would  give  the  scholars  to  add,  and  the  one 
who  was  the  first  to  give  the  right  answer  would  be  considered  the 
smartest;  but  the  one  who  was  first,  yet  had  the  wrong  answer,  was 
very  careful  next  time,  because  of  the  publicity  of  the  failure.  Said 
one  of  the  bank  presidents  of  Pawtucket:  "I  regard  that  fifteen  min- 
utes' daily  practice  in  addition  as  one  of  the  best  features  of  my  edu- 
cation while  at  the  academy.  To-day  I  can  add  up  a  long  column  of 
figures  quickly  and  accurately." 

The  professor  was  a  self-taught  man,  and  was  particularly  happy  in 
imparting  information.  He  was  an  educator,  for  he  could  draw  out 
what  was  in  the  dull  and  backward.  He  was  quick  to  see  the  benefit 
of  the  conversational  method  for  instructing  and  helping  those  who 
could  not  express  themselves,  and  used  this  method  in  the  sciences. 
The  sciences  were  always  a  delight  to  him,  especially  astronomy.  To 
him  was  due  the  credit  arising  from  the  statement  that  at  Smith- 
field  Academy  the  cabinets  of  minerals,  chemicals,  and  philosophic 
apparatus  were  equal  to  those  of  Brown  University.  It  was  his  pur- 
pose to  write  a  text-book  on  natural  philosophy,  but  he  never  did.  He 
composed  a  treatise  of  nearly  200  pages  on  mathematical  mechan- 
ics. In  his  passion  for  knowledge  he  would  use  all  the  money  he  had 
to  buy  the  necessary  appliances,  and  was  often  in  debt.  He  had  no 
time  to  make  money,  but  his  life  work  was  a  constant  study  how  he 
could  gather  knowledge  by  which  he  could  help  his  fellow-men. 

REMINISCENCES. 

His  discipline  was  parental.  He  appealed  to  the  student's  sense  of 
what  was  right  and  fitting.  He  seemed  to  treat  his  pupils  as  if  they 
w^re  on  an  equality  with  himself.  If  a  rule  was  broken  he  would  show 
the  offender  the  reason  for  the  rule  and  the  result  that  would  follow 
from  its  violation.  He  would  also  show  the  student  that  infraction  of 
the  rules  would  cause  the  principal  sorrow,  and  such  was  the  affection 
for  him  that  the  pupils  would  not  wittingly  do  anything  to  hurt  his 
feelings. 


74  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  but  characterized  as  a 
man  of  progressive  ideas.  Music  was  taught  in  his  school.  He  would 
allow  the  students  to  assemble  whenever  they  pleased  in  his  parlor  to 
sing  the  "  Old  Granite  State,"  such  was  his  love  for  that  hymn. 

Ojie  night  one  of  the  boys.who  boarded  in  his  family,  as  he  was  fall- 
ing asleep,  began  to  hum  some  kind  of  a  tune.  Coming  to  the  foot  of  the 
stairs  the  professor  listened  till  he  located  the  voice.  Then  asking, 
"  Sonnie,  is  thee  sick?  "  "  No,  sir;"  replied  the  lad.  "  Well,  I  thought 
thee  must  be  sick  from  the  distressing  noise  I  heard." 

Prof.  Bushee  did  more  than  simply  labor  in  the  station  where  his 
life  work  was  cast.  His  interest  in  the  instruction  of  the  masses  was 
keen.  When  the  lecture  system  came  into  vogue,  he  was  first  to  organ- 
ize a  course  in  Woonsocket.  He  was  also  actively  interested  in  the 
antislavery  movement.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Worces- 
ter Natural  History  Society,  and  served  as  one  of  its  officers  for  nine 
years,  in  August,  1866,  a  large  number  of  his  pupils  held  a  reunion 
in  Worcester.  The  speeches  and  reminiscences  show  the  esteem  and 
veneration  in  which  their  professor  was  held.  His  educational  work 
covered  more  than  half  a  century  and  he  entered  into  his  rest  Decem- 
ber 20,  1888.  Perhaps  no  better  impression  can  be  given  of  this  man 
than  from  his  own  words,  at  a  reunion  of  his  old  pupils  in  the  celebra- 
tion of  his  eightieth  birthday. 

The  eightieth  anniversary  of  the  birthday  of  Prof.  James  Bushee, 
which  took  place  at  his  home  in  Union  Village,  deserves  more  than  a 
passing  notice,  as  there  were  nearly  200  persons  present,  a  large  num- 
ber of  whom  had  at  some  time  during  the  past  fifty-eight  years  been 
under  the  instruction  of  the  professor.  As  early  as  2  o'clock  the  guests 
began  to  assemble,  and  it  was  a  pleasing  sight  to  witness  the  meeting 
of  old  friends  and  schoolmates,  who  had  not  seen  each  other  for  years. 
In  places  here  and  there,  small  groups  might  be  seen  discussing  inci- 
dents of  their  school  days  and  relating  the  little  tricks  they  played  on 
the  professor.  But  his  side  of  the  story  generally  unfolded  to  the  inter- 
ested listeners  a  new  side  to  the  question,  which  seemed  to  confound 
the  relators  then  as  well  as  of  old.  Soon  all  assembled  in  the  school- 
room and  every  seat  was  occupied.  Prof.  Bushee  then  called  the  school 
to  order  as  follows : 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  :  It  is  now  my  pleasant  duty  to  welcome  you.  I  heartily 
welcome  you  to  our  hearts  and  homes ;  welcome  you  again  to  the  old  academy,  whero 
you  have,  as  students,  so  often  assembled  in  your  youthful  days ;  to  this  old  academy, 
dear  to  you  as  well  as  to  me.  I  have  experienced  many  grateful  things;  none  as 
grateful  as  the  present.  It  is  a  pleasing  task  for  me  to  extend  to  you  all  a  heartfelt 
greeting  amidst  these  hallowed  scenes.  We  have  here  the  hell  which  tolled  here 
half  a  century  ago  to  summon  you  to  your  recitations,  and  it  has  been  thought  fit  to 
call  you  together  to-day  with  this  same  bell,  on  the  occasion  of  my  eightieth  birth- 
day. This  is  my  fifty-eighth  year  in  teaching— twenty-eight  iu  Massachusetts  and 
thirty  in  Ehodo  Island — but  I  have  finally  returned  to  the  old  academy,  a  most  fit- 
ting place  for  my  years.  I  wished  to  have  this  present  gathering  take  place  on  the 
old  academy  grounds.  It  is  meet,  after  so  long  a  time,  after  the  lights  and  shadows 


ACADEMIES  AND  PREPARATORY  SCHOOLS.          75 

of  so  many  years,  for  the  old  pupils  to  commuiie  together,  to  speak  of  the  thorns  and 
crosses  scattered  along  their  paths,  and  to  relate  how  they  have  passed  their  time. 
This  is  the  bell  that  called  you  to  your  duties  as  students.  This  is  the  Biblo  with 
which  the  morning  services  were  commenced.  This  morning  the  bell  was  rung  as 
usual,  but  never  before  has  it  called  together  such  a  number  of  pupils.  The  Bible- 
was  read,  but  never  to  such  a  number.  Allow  mo  to  read  a  few -appropriate  verses, 
which  you  have  so  often  heard  from  this  long-since  familiar  book. 

The  professor  then  read  a  fw  verses  from  the  Book  of  Psalms, 
"Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly." 

Mr.  Bushee  was  the  last  one  in  charge  of  the  academy,  and  when  he 
withdrew  its  career  was  terminated. 


PART  III. 
EDUCATION  OF  WOMEK 

A  chapter  on  the  education  of  women  has  been  deemed  essential  to  the 
complete  survey  of  the  history  of  higher  education  of  the  State.  There 
have  been  no  colleges  for  women  in  the  State,  but  the  private  schools 
and  the  academies  have  prepared  students  for  such  institutions  and 
have  been  of  a  high  grade.  All  the  phases  of  female  education  have 
been  developed  from  instruction  in  the  elementary  branches  to  the 
courses  of  lectures  delivered  by  Prof.  Diman  to  classes  of  ladies.  At 
a  time  when  institutions  of  learning  for  women  were  comparatively 
rare  and  educational  methods  were  crude,  the  history  of  a  seminary 
like  that  in  Warren,  where  nearly  1,500  young  ladies  received  a  good 
education,  or  of  a  school  like  Mr.  Kingsbury's,  where  a  smaller  number 
were  graduated  but  the  same  high  grade  of  work  maintained,  is  of  value. 
The  greater  part  of  the  education  for  women  was  given  by  the  private 
schools  and  academies.  These  schools  have  been  under  the  direction 
of  good  teachers  and  have  maintained  a  high  grade  in  what  they  have 
oifered. 

A  place  has  been  given  to  the  normal  school  in  this  chapter  because 
its  character  as  a  normal  school  has  been  varied,  and  because  it  was 
one  of  the  institutions  offering  advanced  education  for  young  women 
and  young  men.  The  institutions  which  have  been  traced  in  detail  are 
the  oldest  and  most  important.  While  these  were  exclusively  for  the 
higher  education  of  girls,  there  were  many  young  ladies  who  received 
a  similar  training  in  academies  and  schools  like  the  Friends7  School  or 
the  Kent  Academy.  The  private  schools  of  the  State  have  offered 
thorough  and  effective  education  for  young  women. 

YOUNG   LADIES7   HIGH   SCHOOL. 

YOUNG  LADIES'  HIGH  SCHOOL,  JOHN  KINGSBURY,  PRINCIPAL,  1828-1858 

The  investigator  of  the  history  of  education  finds  many  phenomena 
in  his  researches,  and  must  chronicle  many  changes.  To-day  long 
vacations  are  in  vogue;  the  school  hours  are  shorter;  the  buildings 
for  schools  are  planned  with  a  view  to  all  the  modern  improved  ideas, 
so  called;  but  perhaps  there  is  no  greater  change  to-day  than  in  the 
department  of  education  for  women,  especially  in  their  higher  educa- 
tion. There  are  such  colleges  as  Bryn  Mawr,  Vassar,  Smith,  and 
Wellesley,  which  ar«  entirely  devoted  to  the  higher  education  of 

77 


78  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

women,  and  many  of  the  universities  are  opening  their  doors  to  women. 
Women  are  taking  courses  in  medicine,  and  there  is  being  erected  in 
Chicago  an  institution  where  women  may  receive  theological  training. 
Nearly  all  the  educational  advantages  which  are  open  to  men  are  also 
open  to  women,  while  nearly  all  the  professions  have  admitted  women. 
The  Young  Ladies'  High  School  was  the  pioneer  in  the  institutions 
at  Providence  for  higher  education.  At  that  time  the  name  high  school 
was  not  used  to  indicate  the  highest  grade  in  the  public  schools,  but 
signified  an  institution  of  higher  education.  As  illustrating  the  change 
in  the  ideas  of  education  of  women  in  the  beginning  of  this  century 
and  to  day,  the  following  account,  in  Mr.  Kingsbury's  own  words,  will 
be  of  interest.  This  account  was  given  by  him  at  the  close  of  his  con- 
nection with  this  school,  in  1858: 

To  those  who  are  familiar  with  public  sentiment  with  regard  to  education  now, 
but  who  know,  except  as  a  matter  of  history,  little  of  the  change  which  has  taken 
place  during  the  past  thirty  years,  the  establishment  and  successful  operation  of  a 
school  like  this  may  seem  a  small  affair.  Could  we,  however,  place  them  at  the 
beginning  of  this  series  of  years  and  with  them  trace  all  the  circumstances  adverse 
to  success  it  would  be  much  easier  to  make  that  impression  which  is  so  necessary 
to  a  perfect  understanding  of  the  subject.  Allow  me  to  give  two  or  three  illustra- 
tions for  this  purpose.  At  that  period  the  range  of  studies  in  female  education 
was  very  limited  in  comparison  with  the  present.  In  addition  to  the  elementary 
branches  a  little  of  history,  a  smattering  of  French,  and  a  few  lessons  in  painting 
or  embroidery  were  thought  to  be  sufficient  for  the  education  of  girls.  The  study  of 
the  Latin  language,  of  algebra,  of  geometry,  and  of  the  higher  English  branches  was 
introduced  into  few  schools  out  of  the  city  of  Boston,  and  it  was  thought  visionary  to 
attempt  the  study  of  them  here.  In  fact,  it  was  hardly  possible  to  escape  ridicule 
in  making  the  experiment.  Even  the  boys  in  the  street  were  sometimes  heard  to 
say  in  derision,  "  There  goes  the  man  who  is  teaching  the  girls  to  learn  Latin." 

The  subject  of  vacations  will  furnish  another  illustration.  Thirty  years  ago  the 
public  schools  were  allowed  the  Friday  after  each  quarterly  examination.  Thus  the 
enormous  amount  of  just  four  days  in  the  year,  in  addition  to  the  Fourth  of  July  and 
Thanksgiving,  was  allowed  for  vacation.  Private  schools  generally  had  no  vacation 
at  all.  Such  was  the  state  of  public  opinion  that  in  the  organization  of  this  school  i^ 
was  not  deemed  politic  to  take  more  than  four  weeks7  vacation  at  first,  and  this  was 
thought  by  some  persons  to  be  an  unwarrantable  liberty.  The  same  public  opinion 
will  not  now  be  satisfied  with  less  than  eight  weeks'  vacation  even  in  public  schools. 

Again,  the  terms  for  tuition  in  private  schools  will  furnish  another  illustration. 
Thirty  years  ago  the  price  of  tuition  in  the  highest  classical  school  in  this  city  was 
$5  a  quarter.  I  had  the  temerity  to  charge  $12.50  for  the  same  time,  or  $50  a  year; 
and  what  is  most  marvelous,  teachers  were  most  offended  at  the  innovation. 

It  may  be  proper  here  to  speak  of  the  schoolroom  and.  furniture.  At  the  outset 
it  was  deemed  important  to  arrange  and  furnish  the  schoolroom  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  transition  from  well-furnished  homes  to  places  of  study  should  not  present 
the  wretched  contrast  which  had  been  too  common  previous  to  that  period.  Fre- 
quently a  room  set  aside  as  unfit  even  for  trade  or  mechanical  purposes  was  selected 
and  fitted  up  in  the  cheapest  manner  as  the  place  where  the  daughters  of  our  richest 
and  most  respectable  people  were  to  be  instructed.  Therefore,  in  order  to  avoid  this 
mistake,  a  building  which  had  been  used  by  the  venerable  Oliver  Angell,  of  this  city, 
for  a  schoolroom  was  procured  and  entirely  refitted  for  the  purpose.  The  old  desks 
and  seats  were  removed,  the  walls  were  neatly  papered,  the  whoie  floor  was  car- 
peted— a  luxury  till  then  unknown  in  this  country,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn — 


EDUCATION    OF    WOMEN.  79 

and  the  room  was  furnished  with  desks  covered  with  broadcloth,  and  with  chairs 
instead  of  stiff-backed  seats.  Some  very  excellent  people  lifted  up  their  hands  in 
astonishment,  and  said  it  would  be  a  pity  to  have  so  much  mwney  wasted;  that 
this  furniture  would  need  to  be  renewed  so  often  that  the  expense  could  not  be  sus- 
tained. The  novelty  of  such  a  schoolroom  attracted  many  visitors,  not  only  from 
this  city  but  from  abroad.  One  gentleman  from  Kentucky,  being  in  Hartford,  came 
here  solely  to  see  it.  The  old  room  was  low  studded  and  badly  ventilated.  There- 
fore, at  the  end  of  twenty  years  and  in  accordance  with  the  increased  knowledge  of 
physiology  and  school  architecture,  the  old  building  gave  place  to  the  present  struc- 
ture, which  for  beauty,  convenience,  comfort  and  health,  is  surpassed  by  few,  if  any, 
in  the  country.  And  here  it  may  be  proper  to  say  that  the  desks  and  chairs,  which 
were  thought  to  be  an  expenditure  so  extravagant  and  wasteful  at  the  organization 
of  the  school,  are  still  standing  in  the  new  building.  After  having  been  used  thirty 
years  they  are  so  good  that  with  proper  care  they  may  last  many  years  longer. 

The  estimate  of  higher  education  for  women  has  been  noted,  as  well 
as  the  difficulty  in  its  attainment;  Brown  University  did  very  much 
to  raise  the  educational  standard  in  the  community,  and  the  public 
school  system  was  in  its  infancy  5  hence  there  was  a  demand  among  the 
people  for  increased  educational  advantages  for  their  daughters.  It 
was  in  response  to  this  demand  that  Mr.  Kingsbury  opened  his  school. 
In  his  own  words,  in  the  circular  which  was  printed  to  announce  the 
opening  of  this  department  of  the  High  School — the  only  advertise- 
ment of  any  kind  ever  set  forth  to  secure  public  attention — the  follow- 
ing language  was  used  to  express  the  leading  idea: 

Our  object  in  the  establishment  of  this  department  is  to  afford  young  ladies  such 
facilities  for  education  that  they  will  be  under  less  necessity  of  spending  abroad  the 
most  important  period  of  their  lives,  a  period  in  which  a  mother's  judicious  care  is 
so  necessary  to  the  formation  of  character.  In  this  undertaking  we  look  for  support 
only  among  those  who  wish  their  daughters  to  acquire  a  thorough  education.  No 
attempt  will  be  made  to  gain  the  approbation  of  such  as  would  prefer  showy  and 
superficial  accomplishments  to  a  well-regulated  mind. 

The  number  of  scholars  was  at  first  limited  to  36,  but,  the  accommodations  allow- 
ing it,  the  number  was  soon  increased  to  40.  Three  more  were  added  after  the  erec- 
tion of  the  present  building,  and  43  has  been  the  fixed  number  ever  since.  No  pres- 
sure of  circumstances  has  ever  induced  mo  to  add  a  single  one  beyond  the  prescribed 
number,  except  when  by  some  mistake  or  misapprehension  a  member  of  the  school 
was  on  the  point  of  being  excluded.  In  such  a  case  the  individual  has  been  received 
as  a  supernumerary  and  gratuitous  scholar.  At  the  end  of  six  months  the  comple- 
ment of  scholars  was  full.  Since  this  period  there  has  always  been  a  list  of 
applications  in  advance  of  the  full  number  varying  from  20  to  CO.  When  I  decided 
to  bring  my  connection  with  the  school  to  a  close  there  were  32  names  on  the  list. 
The  admissions  for  the  whole  period  have  been  557. 

The  founder  of  this  school  deserves  more  than  passing  comment. 
Too  often  the  professional  man  is  guilty  of  the  charge  of  narrowness, 
because  he  can  not  get  out  of  the  ruts  which  he  has  worn  for  himself. 
It  b  gratifying  to  describe  a  man  like  Kingsbury,  who  was  possessed 
of  such  a  liberal  and  catholic  spirit  that  President  'Way laud  could  say, 
while  addressing  the  ladies  of  this  school: 

Though  you,  ladies,  have  had  so  much,  you  have  not  nad  all  of  John  Kingsbury. 
While  he  has  thus  labored  for  you  there  has  hardly  been  a  benevolent  effort  in  this 


80  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

city  which  has  not  felt  the  benefit  of  his  wise  and  disinterested  efficiency.  Whether 
a  university  was  to  be  endowed,  or  a  church  to  be  established,  or  an  association  to 
be  lifted  out  of  difficulties,  or  a  society  of  young  men  to  be  aided  and  directed  in 
their  labors  to  promote  the  cause  of  Christ,  John  Kingsbury  was  the  man  to  do  it. 
Nihil  tctigit  quod  non  ornarit,  quod  non  cedificarit.  Such  has  been,  and  is,  your  hon- 
ored instructor,  and  we  come  here  to  unite  with  you  to-day  to  testify  to  the  appre- 
ciation he  is  held  by  all  good  men  in  the  city  of  Providence. 

John  Kingsbury  was  born  in  Connecticut  May  26,  1801.  He  was 
educated  by  his  own  exertions,  for  he  was  the  son  of  a  farmer  in  moder- 
ate circumstances.  The  education  of  his  early  years  was  what  he 
obtained  at  the  district  school  till  he  was  15.  By  teaching  he  obtained 
the  money  to  take  him  through  college,  although  he  also  taught  while 
in  college.  He  graduated  from  Brown  University  in  182G  with  the 
honor  of  salutatorian.  After  leaving  college  he  taught  in  a  private 
school  in  Providence  for  two  years,  and  then  organized  his  own  school, 
over  which  he  presided  for  thirty  years.  While  teaching  he  had  a  class 
in  the  Bichniond  Street  Congregational  Church,  where  many  young 
men  came  within  the  influence  of  his  thought  and  teaching.  He  also 
actively  allied  himself  with  the  Franklin  Lyceum,  a  scientific  associa- 
tion. He  was  its  secretary  for  some  time,  and  also  president.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  American  Institute  of  Instruction  in  1830, 
and  continued  to  be  actively  interested  in  it. 

Said  Mr.  Barnard,  the  retiring  commissioner  of  public  schools,  in 
1849: 

To  the  uniform  personal  kindness  of  Mr.  Kingsbury,  to  his  sound  practical  judg- 
ment in  all  matters  relating  to  schools  and  education,  to  his  prompt  business  habits, 
to  his  large  spirit,  to  his  punctual  attendance  and  valuable  addresses  in  every  meet- 
ing of  the  institute  which  has  been  held  out  of  the  city,  and  the  pecuniary  aid  which 
his  high  character  and  influence  in  this  community  has  enabled  him  to  extend  to  the 
various  plans  which  have  been  adopted  by  this  department,  I  desire  to  bear  this  pub- 
lic testimony  and  to  make  my  grateful  acknowledgements,  both  personal  and  official 

As  showing  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  it  will  be  only  necessary  to 
mention  the  institutions  with  which  he  was  connected :  The  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  corporate  member  5  Butler 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  trustee;  Brown  University,  trustee;  afterwards 
one  of  the  board  of  fellows  and  secretary  of  the  corporation.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  duties  he  secured  the  greater  part  of  the  subscriptions  for 
a  new  religious  society,  the  Central  Congregational  Church.  He  was 
also  a  very  prominent  member  of  a  committee,  in  1850,  to  raise  $125,000 
for  the  more  complete  endowment  of  Brown  University.  He  closed  his 
labors  as  a  teacher  to  accept  the  position  of  commissioner  of  public 
instruction.  From  this  brief  sketch,  almost  a  mere  catalogue  of  the 
offices  of  trust  he  held,  may  be  seen  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held 
by  his  fellow  citizens.  Nearly  all  of  these  duties  he  fulfilled  while  he 
was  teaching. 

In  a  letter  from  one  who  knew  Mr.  Kingsbury  the  following  state- 
ments are  taken : 

It  was  the  good  fortune  of  many  of  the  young  men  who,  for  the  first  time  away  from 
their  father's  house,  and  now  freshmen  in  Brown  University,  were  honored  with 
an  introduction  to  John  Kingsbury,  and  who,  through  membership  in  his  Bible  class 


EDUCATION    OF    WOMEN.  81 

at  the  Richmond  Street  church,  entered  upon  an  acquaintance  that  ripened  into  a 
life-long  friendship.  -Apart  from  the  advantage  that  came  from  a  careful  and  dis- 
criminating study  of  the  scriptures,  always  made  to  bear  upon  actual  contact  with 
life's  conflict,  there  was  that  in  the  man  himself  which  was  motive  power  for  good. 
His  was  a  wonderfully  attractive  power,  and  by  its  very  win&omeness  quickened  in 
many  of  us  a  desire  to  be  such  a  man  as  he.  So  direct  and  positive  was  this  that  it 
was  invidiously  said  of  one  young  man  by  some  of  his  classmates  that  he  was  "try- 
ing to  be  like  Mr.  Kingsbury,"  and  the  writer  on  hearing  it,  was  conscience  stricken 
as  possessed  of  a  similar  ambition  for  so  high  an  honor.  Mr.  Kingsbury  so  identified 
himself  with  the  good  of  every  young  man  as  that  those  whom  he  approached  were 
drawn  to  him  as  to  a  father.  He  helped  with  living  sympathies  and  friendly  tokens. 
His  influence,  all  unconsciously  wielded  in  little,  quiet  ways,  has  long  and  always 
been  retained.  "  Go  home,"  he  once  said  to  the  writer  as  vacation  was  approach- 
ing. "Go  home  as  often  as  you  can  while  your  parents  are  living.  Make  them  glad 
by  your  presence  and  your  devotion."  This  was  said  in  a  tone  that  fell  like  music 
upon  the  ear,  and  started  chords  that  vibrate  still  in  the  homes  we  are  always  slow 
to  leave.  On  another  occasion,  when  it  came  to  his  knowledge  for  the  first  time  that 
the  son  of  a  classmate  was  in  Brown  University,  and  was  dishonoring  his  father's 
name,  he  said:  "  If  the  father  of  this  young  man  had  only  attended  the  annual  com- 
mencements and  kept  me  informed  of  his  son's  intentions  and  coming  I  would  gladly 
have  sought  him  out  and  helped  him  to  a  better  way."  Such  was  John  Kingsbury, 
and  such  the  help  he  rendered  to  one  and  another  young  man  as  successive  classes 
entered  the  university.  The  very  sound  of  his  name  brings  only  pleasant  memories 
to  every  student  who  enjoyed  his  acquaintance  and  friendship.  Though  not  one  of 
the  faculty  of  the  university  he  was  an  educator  of  the  young  men  who  came  to  his 
Bible  class  and  his  home,  none  the  less  pronounced  and  none  the  less  gratefully 
appreciated  than  they. 

With  such,  a  man  as  Kingsbury  at  the  head  of  the  school,  and  the 
high  standard  which  he  set  up,  it  is  no  surprise  that  the  institution 
was  eminently  successful.  How  this  success  was  realized  can  be 
inferred  from  the  reunion  which  was  held  at  the  close  of  his  connection 
with  the  school,  when  the  leading  citizens  assembled  to  bear  grateful 
recognition  of  his  services  and  labors.  The  success  was  also  due  to 
the  following  characteristics,  which  Mr.  Kingsbury  aimed  to  maintain : 

(1)  To  have  the  moral  sentiment  of  the  school  always  right. 

(2)  To  have  the  scholars  feel  that  no  excellence  in  intellectual  attain- 
ments can  atone  for  defects  in  moral  character. 

(3)  To  form  exact  habits,  not  only  in  study,  but  in  everything. 

(4)  To  have  all  the  arrangements  of  the  school  such  as  are  adapted 
to  educate  women. 

(5)  To  educate  the  whole  number  well  rather  than  to  elevate  a  few 
to  distinction. 

(6) 'To  train  them  to  happiness  and  usefulness  by  a  harmonious 
cultivation  of  all  the  powers  of  the  mind  rather  than  to  render  them 
remarkable  for  genius  or  intellect. 

(7)  To  make  them  intelligent  and  efficient  without  being  prone  to 
ostentation  or  pretension. 

(8)  To  make  them  feel  that  common  sense  is  more  valuable  than 
literary  or  scientific  culture. 

(9)  To  make  elementary  studies  prominent  throughout  the  course, 

1123  B  I 6 


82  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

so  that  spelling — old-fasliioued  spoiling — and  the  higher  ancient 
classics  have  sometimes  been  contemporaneous  studies. 

Such  was  the  standard  of  his  school,  and  those  who  knew  the  man 
can  testify  that  in  so  far  as  he  was  able  he  strove  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  high  purposes.  To  show  how  he  strove  in  this  direction 
he  states  the  following  with  reference  to  himself: 

(1)  Unremitting  labor  from  the  beginning  to  the  present  time. 

(2)  Never  being    so  satisfied  with  past  or  present  success   as  to 
indulge  a  tendency  to  inactivity. 

(3)  Beginning  every  term  with  the  same  strong  desire  to  make  some 
additional  improvement,  as  I  felt  at  first  for  success  itself. 

(4)  Adopting  every  real  improvement  in  education,  whether  it  was 
demanded  by  public  sentiment  or  not. 

(5)  Kejectiug  everything  which  did  not  approve  itself  to  my  judg- 
ment after  examination  and  trial,  though  it  might  be  demanded  by 
public  sentiment. 

(6)  Never  allowing  the  public    to  become  better  acquainted  than 
myself  with  educational  interests,  especially  such  as  related  to  the 
education  of  young  ladies. 

(7)  Daily  seeking  the  special  aid  of  heavenly  wisdom  and  guidance. 
These  truly  are  lofty  and  noble  purposes  and  could  be  taken  as  models 

by  every  educator  in  the  land.  It  is  gratifying  in  the  extreme  to  note 
that  a  school  with  a  lofty  purpose  could  and  did  succeed,  and  that,  too, 
with  no  glittering  announcement  from  catalogue  or  circular. 

The  occasion  of  the  close  of  Mr.  Kingsbury's  relations  to  his  school 
was  celebrated  by  a  reunion  of  his  pupils  in  the  chapel  of  the  college. 
The  corporation  had  offered  the  use  of  this  building.  The  whole  tone 
of  the  gathering  was  such  as  to  deeply  impress  the  principal  that  his 
work  had  been  appreciated,  and  that  his  friends  and  pupils  had  come 
to  do  him  honor.  President  Wayland  presided,  and  the  governor  of 
the  State,  the  mayor  of  the  city,  professors  from  the  university,  and 
clergymen  were  among  those  assembled. 

Said  President  Wayland,  after  explaining  the  reason  of  the  reunion: 

To  me  this  gathering  possesses  peculiar  interest,  for  I  have  known  this  institution 
from  its  commencement,  and  have  observed  its  progress  to  the  present  hour.  It 
arose  as  the  sun  frequently  arises  on  the  morning  of  a  most  brilliant  day,  amidst 
clouds  and  mist.  The  greater  part  of  our  citizens  looked  at  the-  attempt  as  very 
public-spirited  but  very  chimerical.  Our  population  was  about  one-third  of  its 
present  number.  It  was  seen  that  such  schools  as  we  needed  could  be  sustained  in 
Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia,  but  very  few  believed  wo  could  sustain  one  in 
Providence.  Mr.  Kingsbury  thought  differently.  Ho  knew  us  better  than  we  knew 
ourselves.  Mr.  Kingsbury  determined  to  have  a  ladies'  school  which  should  be  an 
honor  to  Providence,  or  he  would  have  none  at  all.  Ho  has  realized  his  idea  and  the 
results  are  spread  before  the  world.  There  is  hardly  a  family  amongst  us,  which,  in 
some  of  its  branches,  does  not  acknowledge  with  gratitude  the  benefit  of  his  instruc- 
tions and  personal  influence.  Five  hundred  of  his  pupils  look  upon  him  with  grati- 
tude and  veneration  and  at  this  very  moment  are  returning  thanks  to  the  man  whose 
whole  life  has  been  so  successfully  devoted  to  labors  for  their  intellectual  and  moral 
improvement. 


EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN.  83 

YOUNG  LADIES'  SCHOOL.  (PKOK.  LINCOLN.) 

Upon  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Kingsbury  from  his  scliool  it  was  taken 
by  Prof.  J.  L.  Lincoln  and  continued  under  the  name  of  the  Young  Ladies' 
School.  In  September,  1867,  Prof.  Lincoln  took  charge.  At  that  time 
it  was  the  only  private  school  for  young  ladies  in  the  city,  and  as  the 
applications  for  admission  were  always  in  excess  of  the  number  which 
could  be  accommodated,  the  school  was  select.  There  were  seats  for  fifty 
students.  In  addition  to  that  number,  Prof.  Lincoln  had  special  classes 
that  came  in  for  English  literature,  or  tins  sciences.  There  were  always 
two  regular  assistants.  Prof.  Chace  lectured  on  geology,  Prof.  Apple- 
ton  on  chemistry,  and  his  brother,  William,  on  history.  -The  principal 
of  the  school  had  the  classics.  The  course  of  study  embraced  a  period 
of  four  years,  and  the  young  ladies  received  such  an  education  as  would 
have  prepared  them  for  entrance  to  colleges  like  Yassar  or  Smith.  In 
some  branches,  such  as  physics  and  philosophy,  mental,  moral,  and  nat- 
ural, they  were  further  advanced  than  the  preparatory  studies.  There 
were  no  colleges  for  women  then,  and  it  was  the  aim  of  the  school  to 
give  a  young  lady  a  training  that  would  enable  her  to  follow  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching,  or  to  occupy  herself  in  any  station  of  life  which 
might  present  itself. 

But  the  influence  and  power  of  the  school  can  not  be  estimated  by 
numbers.  As  indicative  of  the  character  of  the  school,  it  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  say  that  the  standard  marked  out  by  the  founder  was  followed. 
While  maintaining  his  school  Prof.  Lincoln  also  had  some  classes  at 
the  university.  In  1867,  feeling  that  he  could  not  sustain  the  duties 
incumbent  upon  him,  at  the  college  and  in  his  school,  he  ceased  his  con- 
nection with  the  school  and  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  his  profes- 
sorship at  the  university. 

In  answer  to  an  inquiry  as  to  the  number  of  pupils  he  had,  Prof. 
Lincoln  said : 

I  find  the  names  of  214  pupils  registered  during  the  eight  years  (1859-1867)  of  my 
school.  During  the  first  year  I  had  42  desks  in  the  school,  but  as  there  "were  more 
on  my  list  waiting  for  admission,  I  put  in  8  additional  desks  and  after  that  50 
was  the  regular  number.  But  besides  these  50  pupils,  I  had  older  girls  who  came 
in  for  lessons;  so  that  sometimes  there  were  70  pupils  in  the  school.  During  these 
years  there  were  33  who  may  be  said  to  have  graduated,  having  stayed  long  enough 
to  complete  the  course  which  I  contemplated  for  the  work  of  the  school. 

Upon  the  withdrawal  of  Prof.  Lincoln  to  the  college  Rev.  John  C. 
Stockbridge  took  the  school.  The  previous  traditions  of  the  school 
and  the  same  grade  of  work  were  maintained.  The  school  continued 
undor  the  management  of  Mr.  Stockbridge  till  1877.  During  that 
period  250  young  ladies  received  their  education  in  Avhole  or  in  part  at 
this  school.  Several  were  prepared  for  Yassar,  so  that  the  school  still 
offered  instruction  in  advanced  work. 

The  colleges  for  women  having  been  founded  at  a  comparatively  recent 
date,  higher  education  was  acquired  at  the  private  schools.  These 


84          HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

were  of  a  higli  grade.  In  addition  to  those  described  in  detail  there 
was  a  private  school  organized  in  1858  in  Pawtucket  by  Mrs.  William 
B.  Bead.  This  school  was  continued  ten  years. 

In  1866  Miss  Mary  E.  Shaw  opened  a  private  school  in  Providence, 
aud  continued  in  charge  of  it  till  1874,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Miss  Josephine  L.  Abbott.  Since  the  opening  of  colleges  for  women 
young  ladies  have  been  prepared  for  these  institutions  at  this  school. 
Among  other  schools  in  Providence  were  the  Young  Ladies7  School, 
1865-1878,  Miss  Eliza  Weeden;  School  for  Young  Ladies,  1871,  Mrs. 
Fielden  and  Miss  Chace;  and  several  boarding  schools  for  young  ladies. 
In  Pawtucket  there  were  the  Young  Ladies7  Seminary,  1875-1880,  Mrs. 
Thomas  Davis ;  and  the  School  for  Girls,  1881,  Miss  L.  A.  Greene. 

WARREN  LADIES'  SEMINARY. 

This  school  was  situated  in  Warren,  one  of  the  seaport  towns. 
When  the  commercial  and  maritime  history  of  the  State  shall  be  writ- 
ten, it  will  be  found  that  the  activity  of  towns  like  Warren,  was  an 
important  factor  in  its  development.  In  addition  to  the  communica- 
tion which  the  town  had  with  other  centers,  through  the  coming  and 
going  of  the  West  India  men  and  coasters,  Warren  was  favored  in  the 
community  of  the  interests  of  the  inhabitants.  Nearly  all  were  related 
to  each  other  by  ties  of  kindred,  and  a  high  degree  of  public  spirit 
characterized  the  people.  A  town  or  community  which  is  commercial 
is  always  characterized  by  more  public  spirit  than  manufacturing  or 
industrial  centers.  The  school  was  ever  the  pride  of  the  town,  and 
contributed  greatly  to  the  honor  of  the  community.  In  Warren  the 
college  had  been  organized  in  1764. 

The  seminary  was  organized  in  1834,  May  7,  and  nearly  all  the  mem- 
bership of  the  school  for  that  year  was  from  Warren.  The  whole  num- 
ber of  students  was  75,  and  of  these  but  12  were  from  other  towns. 
The  following  were  the  instructors:  Eobert  A.  Coffin,  principal  and 
teacher  in  the  classical  and  philosophical  departments;  Mrs.  Coffin, 
teacher  of  drawing,  painting,  and  ornamental  needlework;  Miss  Mary 
Ann  Eeed,  teacher  in  the  historical  and  descriptive  department;  Miss 
Julia  Ann  Arms,  teacher  of  French  and  mathematics;  Miss  Adeline 
Croode,  teacher  of  music. 

Mr.  Coffin  was  a  good  teacher,  and  Miss  Eeed  was  for  a  long  period 
connected  with  the  school,  proving  herself  a  most  excellent  and  pop- 
ular teacher. 

There  were  5  proprietors  of  the  school,  and  a  board  of  visitors,  of 
7  members. 

As  this  was  one  of  the  early  boarding  schools  for  girls  and  the  only 
school  of  the  kind  at  that  period  in  Ehode  Island,  the  prospectus, 
taken  from  the  first  catalogue  is  of  interest. 

"A  building  has  been  prepared  for  the  accommodation  of  the  school 
containing  a  large  hall,  recitation  rooms,  lecture  room,  chemical  labora- 


EDUCATION    OF    WOMEN.  85 

tory,  together  with  the  usual  accommodations  for  a  family  and  nine 
students. 

"The  course  of  study  is  intended  to  be  systematic,  liberal,  and  thor- 
ough $  systematic,  based  011  the  laws  of  the  human  mind  ;  liberal,  giving 
access  to  varied  sources  of  knowledge  and  aiming  at  the  development 
and  improvement  of  all  the  mental  powers  5  and  at  thorough  training 
of  the  mind  to  habits  of  careful  investigation,  accurate  reasoning,  and 
patient,  persevering  research.  The  recitations  are  not  the  mechanical 
repetition  of  a  set  of  words  previously  committed  to  memory,  but  the 
free  expression  of  thought  and  feeling  on  the  part  of  both  teachers  and 
scholars.  Nor  are  the  pupils  confined  to  the  lessons  contained  in  their 
books.  They  are  encouraged  to  seek  for  knowledge  in  the  operations 
of  nature  and  in  the  exhibitions  of  human  character,  and  to  apply  the 
principles  of  science  to  the  occurrences  of  life.  The  religious  influence 
exerted  in  the  school  is  intended  to  be  positive  and  efficient,  but  not 
sectarian. 

"The  regular  course  of  instruction  in  the  English  branches  is  intended 
to  occupy  three  years.  Before  entering  on  the  course,  it  is  expected 
that  ladies  will  be  acquainted  with  the  first  principles  of  grammar  and 
arithmetic  and  with  some  system  of  geography.  There  are  in  each 
year  three  terms  of  study,  consisting  of  fifteen  weeks  each." 

COURSE    OF    STUDY. 

First  year. 

First  term. — Smith's  Arithmetic,  Malte  Bran  Geography,  Parley's  First  Book  of 
History. 

Second  term. — Arithmetic  continued,  Second  Book  of  History,  Mason  on  Self 
Knowledge. 

Third  term. — Lincoln's  Botany  or  Good's  Book  of  Nature,  Book  of  Commerce, 
Grund's  Geometry. 

Exercises  through  the  year  in  reading,  spelling,  definition,  grammar,  and  compo- 
sition. 

Second  year. 

First  term. — Legendre's  geometry,  ancient  history,  Dillaway's  mythology,  Watts 
on  the  Mind. 

Second  term. — Legendre  continued,  Comstock's  natural  philosophy,  Whatley's  Logic. 
Third  term.— Ecclesiastical  history,  Comstock's  chemistry,  Newman's  rhetoric. 
Exercises  through  the  year  in  reading,  grammar,  and  composition. 

Third  year. 

First  term. — Vose's  astronomy,  political  class  book,  Abercrombie's  intellectual  phi- 
losophy. 

Second  term. — Bailey's  algebra,  Paley's  natural  theology,  Mcllvaine's  Evidences  of 
Christianity. 

Third  term. — Algebra  continued,  Eaton's  geology,  Parkhurst's  moral  philosophy. 

To  those  who  wish  for  a  more  extended  course  than  the  above,  instruction  will  be 
given  in  either  or  all  of  the  following  branches:  Campbell's  philosophy  of  rhetoric, 
Cheever's  Studies  in  Poetry,  Gambier's  Moral  Evidence,  Smell ie's  philosophy  of 
natural  history,  logarithms,  trigonometry,  practical  astronomy,  the  Latin,  Greek,  and 


86  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

French  languages,   drawing,  painting,   ornamental  needlework,  and   music    on  the 
piano. 

The  seminary  is  furnished  with  apparatus  for  illustrating  the  principles  of  natural 
philosophy.*  astronomy,  and  chemistry;  and  lectures  on  these  subjects  are  given 
every  term.  In  the  spring  lectures  are  given  on  school-keeping.  Occasionally  lec- 
turcs»aro  given  on  other  subjects.  A  course  of  24  lessons  m  penmanship  i.s  given 
every  term  without  any  extra  charge. 

Prices  of  tuition. 

PIT  U'rm. 

Reading,  grammar,  geography,  and  arithmetic £3.  75 

Other  branches  in  the  regular  course - 5.  00 

Languages  and.  English  studies  in  the  extra  course,  extra  charges 7.  50 

Lectures 1.00 

Drawing  a^d  painting 3.  00 

Ornamental  needlework   1 . 00 

Calisthenics 1.  00 

Music 10.  00 

Use  of  piano 3.  00 

Price  of  board  $1.50  per  week,  or  $1.75,  washing  included.     Fuel  and  light  extra. 

Tho  parents  and  guardians  of  the  pupils,  and  others  who  are  interested  in  the 
cause  of  female  education,  are  invited  to  visit  the  institution  whenever  they  may 
find  it  convenient.  The  arrangements  are  such  that  frequent  visits  will  cause  no 
interruption  in  the  school  and  no  deviation  from  the  usual  course  of  instruction.1 

The  catalogue  of  the  year  183G  shows  a  membership  of  116,  of 
which  44  were  pursuing  the  regular  course  of  three  years.  A  larger 
proportion  of  students  were  coming  from  neighboring  States,  par- 
ticularly from  Massachusetts.  Three  came  from  Vermont  and  2  from 
Georgia.  The  boarding  house  in  connection  with  the  seminary  had 
accommodations  for  30.  For  the  year  1838,  94  students  were  enrolled, 
with  representatives  from  3  different  Southern  States.  Southerners 
were  induced  to  place  their  daughters  in  the  school  because  their 
sons  were  at  the  college  in  Providence,  only  a  few  miles  distant,  and 
because  the  school  was  attracting  attention  by  the  excellence  of  its 
courses.  Till  1842,  when  there  was  a  change  in  the  management  of  the 
school,  caused  by  the  incorporation  of  the  governing  board  and  other 
alterations,  the  successors  to  Mr.  Coffin  had  been  the  Eev.  Josiah  P. 
Tustin,  D.  i>.,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Kev.  John  C.  Stock-bridge,  of  Provi- 
dence. 

In  1842  a  change  was  made  in  the  school.  The  school  property,  which 
was  owned  by  Shubael  P.  Child,  Henry  H.  Luther,  John  Luther,  and 
Jeremiah  Williams,  was  capitalized  by  them  and  offered  in  30  shares 
at  $200  each.  Those  who  took  the  shares,  and  the  original  proprietors, 
became  the  guardians  and  trustees.  It  was  considered  wise  for  the 
best  interests  of  the  school  that  the  institution  should  be  incorporated. 
Accordingly,  in  1845,  a  charter  was  received  from  the  legislature,  and 
in  November  of  the  same  year,  under  its  provisions,  the  permanent 
organization  was  effected.  Shubael  P.  Child,  president;  Henry  H. 

1  Catalogue  of  the  Warren  Ladies'  Seminary,  1834. 


EDUCATION   OF   WOMEN.  87 

Luther,  vice-president;  Charles  Randall,  treasurer ;  Thomas  G.  Turner, 
secretary. 

The  board  of  directors  consisted  of  Otis  Bullock,  G.  M.  Fessenden, 
Josiah  P.  Tustin,  Samuel  Hunt,  John  Norris,  William  H.  Church,  and 
A.  M.  Gainmell. 

In  1842  A.  M.  Gainmell  was  the  principal,  with  five  assistants.  The 
school  grew  and  acquired  a  reputation  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and 
also  in  New  England.  Girls  were  not  received  under  15  years  of  age, 
and  some  were  at  the  school  who  were  well  advanced  in  the  twenties. 
For  the  year  1845  the  catalogue  shows  the  membership  of  the  school  to 
be!20;  1840,154;  1847,172;  1848,149;  1850,132;  1851, 148;  1853, 125; 
1855,  185;  1857,  11.4.  In  1855  there  were  representatives  in  the  school 
from  New  York,  Georgia,  Massachusetts,  Illinois,  Ohio,  Maine,  Con- 
necticut, Nova  Scotia,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Florida,  and  Indiana. 
The  funds  which  had  been  secured  from  the  sale  of  shares  in  1845  were 
devoted  to  additions  to  the  building.  In  1855  and  1856  it  was  clearly 
evident  from  the  increasing  patronage  that  the  accommodations  were 
too  limited.  In  the  next  year  there  was  an  issue  of  20  shares,  at  $200 
each.  These  were  chiefly  taken  by  the  principal,  Mr.  Gammell.  The 
avails  of  this  new  issue  were  also  devoted  to  the  enlargement  of  the 
building.  There  was  one  more  issue  of  15  shares,  not  all  of  which  were 
taken.  The  total  number  of  certificates  was  60. 

The  seminary  continued  to  prosper,  but  in  1857,  during  the  vacation, 
the  buildings  were  burned.  There  was  an  attempt  to  revive  the  insti- 
tution, but  the  loss  of  the  buildings  was  a  blow  from  which  it  did  not 
recover.  The  faculty  for  the  last  year  of  the  seminary  consisted  of 
9  instructors  and  2  matrons.  The  board,  including  washing,  fuel, 
lights,  and  tuition  in  the  English  branches,  including  lectures,  vocal 
music,  and  calisthenics,  was  $175  for  the  academic  year  of  forty-two 
weeks. 

The  catalogue  for  the  same  year  was  called  an  "  historic  catalogue," 
because  it  contained  the  names  of  all  the  instructors  and  pupils  from 
its  establishment  in  May,  1834,  to  July,  1856.  The  instructors  and 
matrons  were  60,  and  the  pupils  1,259.  This  number  did  not  represent 
all  the  pupils  who  received  instruction,  as  appears  from  the  report  of 
the  board  of  directors  to  the  board  of  trustees,  where  it  was  stated  that 
more  than  1,500  received  "  the  elements,  and  many  of  them  the  accom- 
plishments, of  a  finished  education." 

The  school  was  also  instrumental  in  contributing  to  the  prosperity 
of  Warren  and  thus  to  the  State.  As  has  been  stated,  the  townspeople 
were,  very  many  of  them,  related,  and  many  of  them  followed  the  sea. 
Wherever  they  might  go  they  could  speak  well  of  the  school.  Such, 
doubtless,  was  true  in  the  case  of  students  who  came  from  Havana 
and  Matanzas.  The  commencements  and  public  exercises  always  drew 
many  people  to  the  town,  and  the  Baptist  church,  where  the  exercises 
were  held,  was  crowded.  The  institution  was  in  touch  with  the  col- 


88          HISTORY    OF   HIGHER   EDUCATION    IN   RHODE   ISLAND. 

lege,  for  some  of  tlie  faculty  were  on  the  board  of  examiners  and  were 
also  lecturers  in  special  subjects. 

This  seminary  at  Warren  was  an  important  factor  in  the  education  of 
women.  A  great  many  of  the  students  were  preparing  themselves  to 
teach,  and  had  their  training  here.  The  normal  school  was  not  estab- 
lished till  1854,  so  that  in  a  measure,  its  lack  was  supplied.  The  repu- 
tation which  the  seminary  had  for  its  instruction  enabled  many  of  the 
graduates  to  obtain  positions  as  teachers,  and  thus  to  transmit  meth- 
ods which  had  been  employed  so  successfully  there.  The  sphere  of  its 
influence  was  a  wide  one,  for  nearly  all  the  States  were  represented 
among  the  students.  Many  came  from  the  South,  because  there  were 
few  such  schools  there,  and  because  in  many  cases  their  relatives  were 
at  the  college  in  Providence. 

With  an  able  corps  of  instructors  possessing  the  confidence  and  best 
wishes  of  the  townspeople,  and  furnishing  a  truly  liberal  education  for 
the  young  ladies  of  the  day,  the  Warren  Ladies'  Seminary  is  justly  enti- 
tled to  an  honorable  position  in  the  history  of  education  for  women. 

NORMAL   SCHOOL. 

This  school  has  furnished  a  good  indication  of  the  public  opinion 
regarding  advanced  and  improved  ideas  in  education  in  this  State. 
The  history  of  normal  schools  in  the  United  States  may  be  traced  to 
the  early  part  of  this  century. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  1839,  Mr.  Mann  wrote  in  his  diary : 

To-morrow  we  go  to  Lexington  to  launch  the  first  normal  school  on  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic.  I  can  not  indulge  in  an  expression  of  the  train  of  thought  which  the 
contemplation  of  this  event  awakens  in  niy  mind.  Much  must  come  of  it,  either  of 
good  or  of  ill.  I  am  sanguine  in  my  faith  that  it  will  he  the  former.  But  the  good 
will  not  come  of  itself.  That  is  the  reward  of  effort,  of  toil,  of  wisdom. 

The  next  day  he  records : 

Only  three  persons  presented  themselves  for  examination.  In  point  of  numbers 
this  is  not  a  promising  commencement.  What  remains  but  more  exertion,  more  and 
more,  until  it  must  succeed? 

What  Horace  Mann  did  for  education  in  Massachusetts,  Henry  Bar- 
nard did  for  Rhode  Island.  Said  he : 

I  have  aimed  everywhere  to  set  forth  the  nature,  necessity,  and  probable  results 
of  a  normal  school,  so  as  to  prepare  the  public  mind  for  some  legislative  action 
toward  the  establishment  of  one  such  school. 

After  his  election  as  school  commissioner,  in  the  school  act  which 
was  prepared  by  him  he  inserted  this  clause : 

To  establish  one  thoroughly  organized  normal  school  in  the  State,  where  teachers 
and  such  as  propose  to  teach  may  become  acquainted  with  the  most  approved  and 
successful  methods  of  arranging  the  studies  and  conducting  the  discipline  and 
instruction  of  the  public  schools. 

Accordingly  he  used  all  his  influence  toward  arousing  public  inter- 
est in  favor  of  a  normal  school.  He  organized  conventions  and  associa- 
tions of  teachers  and  delivered  lectures.  He  used  the  columns  of  the 


EDUCATION    OF    WOMEN.  89 

daily  papers  and  issued  numerous  pamphlets  which  were  distributed 
among  the  people. 

In  1845  a  bill  consolidating  the  various  educational  provisions  was 
passed  by  the  assembly.  This  included  the  establishment  of  one 
normal  school.  The  act  was  passed,  but  it  was  unavailing,  because 
no  appropriation  was  made.  The  friends  of  such  a  school  did  all  in 
their  power  to  keep  the  question  before  the  public,  but  nothing  was 
done  till  1850.  That  year  the  university  was  reorganized,  and  it  was 
announced  that  there  would  be  a  normal  department  or  a  profes- 
sorship of  didactics.  Samuel  S.  Greene,  who  was  the  city  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  was  chosen  to  this  professorship.  Good  work  was 
done,  but  the  public  needs  were  not  met,  because  the  instruction  was 
not  sufficiently  popular.  -To  meet  this  demand  the  normal  school  was 
opened  on  October  24,  1852,  by  Prof.  Greene  as  a  private  school.  He 
had  three  assistants,  among  them  Dana  P.  Colburn.  The  first  normal 
classes  were  held  in  the  old  Providence  High  School  building,  which 
is  now  the  permanent  home  of  the  normal  school.  The  school  now  was 
so  successfully  established  that  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  securing 
its  permanency  was  such  as  to  induce  the  school  committee  to  pass 
this  resolution : 

Resolved,  That,  in  the  opinion  of  this  committee,  the  time  has  arrived  when  a 
normal  school  for  the  education  of  teachers  should  be  added  to  our  system  of  public 
instruction,  and  that  it  be  recommended  to  the  city  council  to  establish  such  a 
school,  either  separately,  for  the  exclusive  benefit  of  the  city,  or  in  connection  with 
the  government  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  for  the  joint  benefit  of  the  city  and 
the  State,  as  in  their  wisdom  they  may  deem  best. 

The  school  was  continued  by  Prof.  Greene  through  April,  1854. 

In  accordance  with  the  above  resolution,  appropriations  were  made 
and  measures  taken  to  reorganize  the  school.  Prof.  Greene  was  fully 
occupied  at  the  university,  so  Dana  P.  Colburn  was  chosen  principal, 
at  a  salary  of  $1,200.  Thus,  after  nine  years,  did  the  work  which  was 
inaugurated  by  the  wisdom  of  Mr.  Barnard  find  realization. 

A  notable  event  of  this  period  was  the  lioldiug  of  a  special  session 
of  the  school,  beginning  April  7, 1856,  and  continuing  for  three  weeks. 
"  It  was  attended,"  says  Mr.  Colburn,  "  by  nearly  150  teachers,  and  is 
believed  to  have  been  in  a  high  degree  successful."  Of  the  gentlemen 
who  gave  instruction  and  lectures  are  found  the  names  of  Rev.  Robert 
Allyn,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Potter  as  commissioner  in  1854 ;  Mr.  Barnard, 
Rev.  Dr.  Barnas  Sears,  then  president  of  Brown  University,  Profs. 
Alexis  Caswell,  Robinson  P.  Dunn,  James  B.  Angell,  George  I.  Chace, 
William  Gammell,  and  Albert  Harkness;  Rev.  Dr.  Edward  B.  Hall, 
Rev.  George  T.  Day,  Rev.  E.  M.  Stone,  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Vail,  Rev.  John 
Boyden,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  A.  Crane,  Rev.  T.  D.  Cook,  Hon.  Welcome  B. 
Sayles,  Gen.  Joseph  S.  Pitman,  and  Mr.  Levi  W.  Russell. 

In  1857  ther*e  was  a  proposition  made  on  the  part  of  Bristol  that  the 
school  be  removed  from  Providence  to  that  town.  This  offer  would 
relieve  the  State  from  the  expense  of  the  school.  The  proposal  was 


90  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

accepted.  There  had  been  some  dissatisfaction  that  the  State  treasury 
should  bear  so  much  of  the  expense,  and  it  was  thought  by  others  that 
a  change  was  necessary  for  the  greater  success  of  the  school.  In  May, 
1857,  the  normal  school  was  incorporated,  and  its  removal  to  Bristol 
approved.  Mr.  Colburn  was  still  in  charge,  and  to  him  was  duo,  in  a 
large  measure,  the  success  of  the  school.  Two  years  after  the  removal 
of  the  school  Mr.  Colburn  died.  He  had  been  well  known  among 
teachers  and  all  the  friends  of  public  education  in  New  England.  His 
biographer  said : 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  great  work  of  Mr.  Colburn's  life  AVUS  bis  instruc- 
tion iu  normal  schools.  For  ten  years  ho  consecrated  to  this  vocation  bis  ripest 
powers  of  mind  and  heart,  and  by  his  success  in  it  the  value  of  his  brief  life  must 
be  estimated.  The  normal  school  was  his  workshop,  whence  emanated  his  most 
positive  influence  on  the  surrounding  world  and  where  his  loss  will  bo  longest  felt. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Oolburn  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  school.  In  addi- 
tion the  next  few  years  brought  the  confusion  and  uncertainty  of  the 
civil  war.  The  location  of  the  school  at  Bristol,  a  small  town,  was 
prejudicial  to  its  growth.  The  academic  staff  of  the  school  was  good 
and  the  exertions  made  by  the  faculty  were  scholarly  and  able,  but  of 
no  avail.  In  1865,  at  the  close  of  the  spring  term,  the  school  adjourned 
for  a  period  of  five  weeks,  and  in  July  the  trustees  suspended  it  indefi- 
nitely. The  next  five  years  were  a  period  of  trial  and  suspense  for  the 
friends  of  the  school.  An  act  was  passed  in  1SG6  to  provide  instruc- 
tion in  the  special  preparation  of  teachers.  Accordingly  nearly  150 
were  trained  at  the  Providence  Conference  Seminary  in  East  Green- 
wich and  at  the  Laphain  Institute  in  Scituate.  The  expense  to  the 
State  was  nearly  $2,500. 

But  the  need  of  a  normal  school  was  just  as  imperative  as  ever, 
and  extracts  from  the  educational  reports  from  the  various  towns  for 
the  year  1869  show  that  the  schools  were  sadly  crippled  in  their  efforts, 
because  there  was  an  insufficiency  of  trained  teachers.  In  that  same 
year  Thomas  W.  Bicknell  was  appointed  commissioner  of  education. 
He  fully  realized  the  need  of  a  training  school  for  teachers.  The 
methods  he  used  were  on  the  same  general  plan  as  those  employed  by 
Mr.  Barnard.  The  Ehode  Island  Schoolmaster,  the  educational  paper 
of  the  State,  was  suspended  in  1868,  but  Mr.  Bickuell  revived  it.  He 
also  began  the  organization  of  teachers7  institutes  and  educational 
lectures  for  the  public.  The  efforts  of  his  predecessors  had  not  lost 
their  effect,  and  as  a  result  of  the  new  interest  the  board  of  education 
and  the  commissioner  were  made  trustees.  An  appropriation  of 
$10,000  was  voted.  The  opening  exercises  were  held  in  September, 
1871.  One  hundred  and  fifty  applicants  for  admission  presented  them- 
selves, and  certificates  were  given  to  106.  Before  the  end  of  that  year 
the  number  of  students  was  115,  of  whom  8  were  young  men.  Prof. 
James  O.  Greenough  was  principal. 

Among  the  last  important  links  in  the  history  of  the  school  was  the 


EDUCATION    OF    WOMEN.  91 

appropriation  of  $40,000  by  the  May  session  of  the  legislature  in  1877 
to  provide  a  permanent  home  for  the  school.  Ilie  o]d  high  school 
estate  was  secured ,-  and  is  now  the  home  of  the  normal  school.  Since 
the  reorganization  the  normal  school  has  maintained  its  standard  and 
has  held  its  rank  at  the  head  of  the  public-school  system  of  the  State. 
The  account  of  this  school  has  been  inserted  under  the  chapter  of 
education  for  women,  because  the  personnel  of  the  school  is  almost 
entirely  of  women. 


PART  IV. 
BROWN  UNIVERSITY. 

The  university  now  bearing  the  name  Brown  University  is  the  only 
one  which  has  had  more  than  a  chartered  existence.  It  was  founded 
in  Warren  in  1764,  and  its  original  name  was  Ehode  Island  College. 
This  change  was  made  in  accordance  with  a  provision  in  the  charter,  to 
the  effect  that  at  any  time  thereafter  a  more  particular  name  in  honor 
of  the  greatest  and  most  distinguished  benefactor  might  be  given. 
Built  by  the  self-sacrifice  and  personal  exertions  of  the  founders,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  years  during  the  revolution,  its  existence  has 
been  uninterrupted,  although  its  history  has  been  varied.  It  has  had 
periods  of  prosperity  and  periods  when  the  friends  of  the  university 
trembled  and  anxiously  awaited  the  outcome;  but  the  very  storms  have 
served  but  to  strengthen  the  university  in  the  principles  of  a  worthy 
endurance. 

The  graduates  of  Brown  are  in  every  station  in  life,  and  gratefully 
acknowledge  their  debt  of  gratitude  to  those  who  taught  and  guided 
them  in  their  university  career.  Brown  has  been  fortunate  in  the  good 
and  noble  men  who  have  shaped  its  policy  and  assisted  at  its  councils. 
The  names  of  Manning,  Wayland,  Sears,  Caswell,  Dunn,  Diman,  and 
Gammell  will  recall  men  whose  lives  were  consecrated  to  the  highest 
good  of  their  fellows.  The  influence  of  such  men  is  more  than  local; 
it  lives  in  the  lives  of  the  students  who  came  in  contact  with  it,  and 
the  whole  world  of  letters  is  better  for  the  lives  of  these  Christian 
scholars.  In  a  smaller  college  the  student  has  an  advantage  in  that 
he  can  come  in  contact  with  professors  during  nearly  all  his  course. 

The  location  of  Brown  in  Providence,  the  largest  city  in  the  State, 
has  given  the  university  prominence,  and  it  has  availed  itself  of  the 
opportunity  for  making  its  influence  felt  in  tne  community.  The  lead- 
ing men  of  the  university  have  been  characterized  by  a  public  spirit, 
which  has  led  them  to  respond  to  the  call  of  the  municipality  or  of 
the  State.  Not  only  at  home  but  also  abroad  the  academic  staff  have 
won  distinguished  merit  and  recognition  by  their  public  services.  Brown 
University,  which  is  already  in  possession  of  an  honorable  past,  is  now 
girding  itself  for  still  greater  usefulness  in  the  future.  The  period  now 
opening  with  the  academic  year  of  1894,  is  one  of  greater  prosperity 
than  that  of  any  preceding,  and  the  policy  of  the  present  administra- 
tion is  so  shaping  itself  that  this  opportunity  may  be  utilized  to  the 
utmost. 

93 


94  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

PRESIDENT  MANNING,  17G4-1791. 

Those  who  write  the  history  of  the  institutions  of  learning  of  the  last 
two  centuries  must  go  behind  the  final  movements  which  resulted  in 
the  establishment  of  the  college  or  academy.  The  political  and  social 
environment  of  the  leaders  must  be  closely  studied,  for  they  were  men 
of  strong  personality.  Those  who  came  to  the  front  were  characterized 
by  broad  views,  except  in  some  cases  where  there  was  a  denomina- 
tional bias.  The  relation  between  church  and  state  was  close,  and 
the  civic  leader  needed  the  ecclesiastical  aid.  The  man  who  in  its 
beginning  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  college  was  James  Manning. 
If  some  of  the  later  administrators  are  entitled  to  be  called  saviors  of 
their  college,  to  him  belongs  the  title  of  father  of  the  college.  With 
him  the  college  was  ever  present;  whether  in  the  halls  of  the  colonial 
or  of  the  State  legislature;  in  all,  either  public  or  private,  he  was  ever 
planning  how  he  might  best  promote  the  interests  of  Rhode  Island  Col- 
lege. The  biography  of  Manning  in  his  later  years  is  the  story  of  the 
institution,  so  closely  was  he  identified  with  it.  The  history  of  the 
foundation  reflects  his  life. 

OBJECT    OF    THE    COLLEGE. 

The  first  president  of  Rhode  Island  College,  afterwards  Brown  Uni- 
versity, was  James  Manning.  The  design  of  the  college  originated  with 
the  Philadelphia  Baptist  Association,  and  they  decided  to  place  it  in 
Rhode  Island.  Manning,  who  had  been  selected  by  the  association  as 
its  agent  in  the  matter,  came  to  Rhode  Island  and  began  the  establishment 
of  a  college.  The  Baptists,  then  a  small  denomination,  felt  the  need 
of  an  institution  where  their  youth  could  be  trained  in  their  belief. 
There  was  the  academy  at  Hopewell,  N.  J.,  a  preparatory  school,  but 
the  denomination  desired  a  college. 

Among  the  early  documents  of  the  university  is  one  which  states 
the  very  object  of  the  institution.  In  order  to  explain  this  document, 
the  account  of  the  change  of  location  must  be  very  briefly  anticipated. 
The  first  location  was  at  Warren,  in  1764;  six  years  later,  after  much 
discussion,  the  university  was  removed  to  Providence.  A  movement 
was  at  once  started  by  those  who  had  wished  the  location  to  be  at 
Newport,  to  secure  a  charter  for  a  new  college  at  that  town.  The  cor- 
poration of  Rhode  Island  College  at  once  decided  to  petition  the  gen- 
eral assembly  for  the  rejection  of  the  new  charter.  A  memorial  was 
prepared  and  a  committee  chosen  to  present  it  in  the  assembly.  This 
document  will  clearly  show  the  reason  for  the  establishment  of  the  col- 
lege. 

To  the  honorable  the  general  assembly  of  the  colony  of  lihode  Island,  to  sit  at  Newport  on 
the  first  Wednesday  in  May,  1170. 

The  remonstrance  of  the  trustees  and  fellows  of  the  corporation  of  the  college  in 
said  colonies  humbly  showeth — 

That  the  several  denominations  of  Baptists  residing  in  most  of  the  British  north- 
ern colonies  are,  taken  collectively,  a  considerable  body  of  Christians;  and  these 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  95 

people  having  of  late  years  takeii  into  consideration  that  there  are  no  public  semi- 
naries for  the  education  of  youth  where  those  of  that  persuasion  can  enjoy  equal 
freedom  and  advantages  with  others,  were  thereby  induced  to  form  a  resolution  to 
erect  a  college  and  institute  a  seminary  for  the  education  of  youth  somewhere  in 
North  America,  to  be  effected  chiefly,  if  not  altogether,  by  the  application  and  at 
the  cost  and  expense  of  the  Baptist  churches.  That,  having  proceeded  thus  far, 
they  began  to  inquire  after  the  most  convenient  place  for  executing  their  design,  and 
on  deliberation,  finding  that  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island  was  settled  chiefly  by  Bap- 
tists, that  a  very  considerable  part  of  the  inhabitants  are  still  of  that  persuasion, 
and  that  a  universal  toleration  of  liberty  of  conscience  hath  from  the  beginning 
taken  place  in  it,  they  had  great  hope  it  would  prove  a  proper  place  for  founding  a 
college,  and  in  which  the  infant  institution  might  bo  most  encouraged;  and  accord- 
ingly they  applied  to  the  general  assembly  of  said  colony  for  a  charter  of  incorpora- 
tion, which  they  thankfully  acknowledge  was  freely  granted  them. 

That  in  forming  this  charter  care  was  takeii  that,  notwithstanding  the  burden  of 
expense  was  to  fall  chiefly  on  the  Baptists,  yet  no  other  Christian  society  should  be 
excluded  from  the  benefits  of  it,  and,  accordingly,  a  sufficient  number  from  each  of 
the  principal  of  them  was  taken  in  to  bo  trustees  and  fellows  in  the  corporation  as 
might  be  able  to  take  care  of  and  guard  their  interest  in  it  in  all  time  to  come. 
And  the  youth  of  every  denomination  of  Christians  are  fully  entitled  to  and  actually 
enjoy  equal  advantages  in  every  respect  as  the  Baptists  themselves,  without  being 
burdened  with  any  religious  test  or  complaint  whatsoever.  ' 

SKETCH    OF    JAMES    MANNING. 

James  Manning  was  born  in  Elizabethtown,  N.  J.,  October  22,  1738. 
His  father  was  a  farmer.  Of  his  mother  it  was  said  u  she  exemplified 
in  her  daily  life  the  happy  and  sanctifying  influences  of  the  Christian 
religion."  In  later  years  Manning  was  said  to  have  preeminently  good 
sense,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  he  owed  much  of  it  to  his  home 
training.  Of  his  schoolboy  days  but  little  is  known.  Said  the  editor 
of  his  published  letters :  "  I  have  not  found  in  the  whole  series  of  letters 
one  misspelled  word."  That  fact  indicates  some  degree  of  diligence 
and  application  in  the  elementary  education  which  he  received.  He 
entered  a  preparatory  school  at  Hopewell?  where  an  academy  had  been 
opened  "  for  the  education  of  youth  for  the  ministry."  At  the  age  of 
20  he  was  admitted  to  membership  in  the  freshman  class  of  the 
College  of  New  Jersey.  The  information  with  reference  to  his  college 
days  is  meager,  but  he  is  said  to  have  been  characterized  by  diligence 
and  devotion  to  his  studies.  He  excelled  in  rhetoric,  eloquence,  moral 
philosophy,  and  the  classics.  *  He  was  also  fond  of  athletics.  He  was 
graduated  with  the  second  honor  in  a  class  of  21.  Shortly  after 
graduation  Manning  made  preparation  to  enter  upon  the  minis- 
try, the  profession  which  was  to  be  his  life  work.  In  the  sketch  of  the 
early  days  of  the  college  the  preliminary  steps  in  its  establishment 
were  described.  Manning,  after  graduation,  had  made  a  tour  through 
the  southern  colonies  and  had  come  to  Rhode  Island  to  found  a  college. 
From  his  account  of  the  college,  which  he  never  completed,  it  is  seen 


1  History    of  Brown  University  from  Illustrative  Documents.     K.  A.  Guild.     Pp. 
205,  206. 


96          HISTORY    OF   HIGHER   EDUCATION   IN   RHODE    ISLAND. 

that  lie  was  very  prominent  in  the  work  of  organization.  The  charter 
was  secured  in  February,  1764,  but  no  home  for  the  college  had  been 
provided.  It  seemed  desirable  that  the  location  should  be  in  some  place 
where  the  president  could  preach,  in  addition  to  the  work  of  instruc- 
tion. The  two  churches  in  Newport  had  competent  preachers  and 
there  were  reasons  why  a  settlement  at  Providence  was  undesirable  at 
that  time.  In  April  of  the  same  year  Manning  removed  with  his  family 
to  Warren,  where  he  opened  a  Latin  school,  preliminary  to  collegiate 
instruction.  This  Latin  school  founded  by  him  has  continued  till  the 
present  time,  and  is  known  as  the  University  Grammar  School.  Man- 
ning at  the  second  meeting  of  the  corporation  held  in  Newport,  Sep- 
tember, 1765,  was  elected  ''president  of  the  college,  professor  of  languages 
and  other  branches  of  learning,  with  full  power  to  act  in  these  capaci- 
ties at  Warren,  or  elsewhere." 

Manning  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  connection  with  the  college 
had  its  welfare  deeply  at  heart.  He  knew  nothing  which  was  para- 
mount to  the  state  of  religion  in  the  country  and  Rhode  Island  College. 
The  details  of  his  life  henceforth  are  so  closely  identified  with  the  phases 
and  crisis  of  the  college  that  they  will  be  given  in  their  appropriate 
place. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 

Manning  was  an  active  correspondent  with  all  whom  he  thought  could 
assist  the  college.  In  nearly  all  of  his  letters,  in  some  way  or  other,  he 
makes  reference  to  the  needs  of  the  college.  In  one  letter  to  Rev.  John 
Eyland,  of  England,  he  says: 

What  think  you  of  an  application  to  England,  by  some  suitable  person,  in  order  to 
augment  our  little  and  insufficient  fund,  as  Mr.  Edwards  made  but  a  partial  applica- 
tion; or  would  a  well-concerted  scheme  of  a  lottery  to  raise  £1,000  or  £2,000  meet 
with  encouragement  by  the  sale  of  tickets  in  England? 

The  reply  to  this  part  of  the  letter  is  as  follows: 

As  to  raising  money  by  a  lottery,  I  dislike  it  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  'Tis  a 
scheme  dishonorable  to  the  supreme  head  of  all  worlds  and  of  every  true  church. 
We  have  our  fill  of  these  cursed  gambling  lotteries  in  London  every  year.  They  are 
big  with  ten  thousand  evils.  Let  the  devil's  children  have  them  all  to  themselves. 
Let  us  not  touch  or  taste. 

In  justice  to  the  sentiments  of  Manning  on  the  subject  of  lotteries  he 
continues  to  the  same  friend  in  reply : 

Your  opinion  of  lotteries  coincides  with  mine;  but  some  of  our  friends  urged  me 
to  mention  the  subject,  as  they  could  not  see  a  prospect  of  supplies  in  any  other  way. 
Besides,  I  believe  there  have  not  been  such  iniquitous  methods  used  in  this  matter 
with  us  as  in  the  State  lotteries  at  hoine.  They  have  been  used  to  promote  good 
designs. 

In  another  letter  to  a  friend  in  England  he  says: 

Do  you  think  it  would  be  worth  while  for  an  American  Indian,  as  we  are  generally 
deemed,  to  visit  England  on  the  errand  of  collecting  some  more  money  for  our  col- 
lege? 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  97 

A  list  of  "  worthy  men  of  learning  and  character  who  desire  the  hon- 
ors of  Rhode  Island  College"  in  England  had  been  sent  to  Manning. 
Before  honoring  them  thus  it  was  the  wish  of  the  faculty  to  know  if  they 
had  been  consulted  personally,  and  if  they  desired  the  honors,  other- 
wise they  feared  the  bestowal  of  the  honor  would  do  the  college  harm. 
Manning,  who  had  conducted  the  correspondence,  was  informed  in  reply 
by  Ryland : 

For  mo  to  ask  any  of  those  gentlemen  I  nominated  in  my  letter  whether  he  would 
please  to  accept  a  degree  from  your  college  would  spoil  all  the  honor  and  delicacy  of 
conferring  it.  Its  coming  unsought,  yea  unthought  of,  constitutes  its  chief  excellence 
and  acceptableness  to  men  of  fine  feelings.  For  my  own  part  I  would  not  have  given 
you  a  single  farthing,  or  so  much  as  a  thanks,  for  a  feather  if  I  had  it  not  in  my  power 
with  the  utmost  truth  to  say,  "I  neither  sought  it  nor  bought  it, nor  thought  for  a 
moment  about  it." 

Letters  of  acceptance  of  gifts  to  the  college,  urging  its  claims  on  the 
friends  of  the  denominations,  notes  of  condolence,  and  letters  discuss- 
ing mooted  points  in  theology  occur  at  frequent  intervals  till  1779, 
when  Maiming  left  the  city  for  awhile  to  visit  his  friends.  From  the 
wide  range  of  topics  which  came  under  discussion  his  ability  and  devo- 
tion to  the  college  were  recognized. 

FUNDS  AND  LOCATION  OF  THE  COLLEGE. 

The  charter  had  been  secured  for  the  new  college  and  James  Manning 
had  been  chosen  to  the  presidency.  The  college  opened  with  one 
student.  Although  there  was  but  this  one  college  in  the  State,  it  was 
practically  in  charge  of  a  single  denomination.  The  charter  was  such 
that  other  denominations  were  to  be  represented,  but  the  management 
was  vested  in  the  Baptists.  When  the  question  arose  how  funds  were 
to  be  raised,  the  corporation  naturally  looked  to  their  own  denomina- 
tion, not  only  in  this  country,  but  in  Europe.  Among  the  friends  of 
the  college  in  its  immediate  neighborhood,  the  sum  of  a  trifle  more  than 
$1,000  was  raised.  The  corporation  furnished  credentials  to  the  Rev. 
Morgan  Edwards,  who  offered  to  go  to  England  and  Ireland,  in  order 
to  see  what  could  be  done  there  for  the  seminary.  Wales  was  his 
native  country,  but  he  had  received  his  education  in  Ireland.  He  had 
the  indorsement  of  many  of  the  clergy  of  his  denomination,  and  from 
the  assistance  of  friends  of  the  cause  raised  $4,500.  Writing  from 
London  to  President  Manning  he  says : 

If  I  were  to  stay  in  London  ever  so  long  I  believe  I  should  get  money,  but  it  comes 
so  slowly  and  by  such  small  sums  that  I  can  not  spare  the  time.  However,  I  may 
depend  on  the  friendship  of  two  or  three  when  I  leave  the  Kingdom,  who  have  prom- 
ised to  solicit  for  us,  and  do  not  doubt  but  what  they  will  do  more  than  I  shall  be 
able  to  accomplish,  as  they  may  watch  convenient  seasons.  There  have  been  no  less 
than  six  cases  of  charity  pushed  about  this  winter,  viz :  Two  from  Germany,  two 
from  the  country  of  England,  and  two  from  America.  The  unwearied  beneficence  of 
the  city  of  London  is  amazing 

At  the  South,  by  vote  of  the  corporation,  Rev.  Hezekiah  Smith  was 
empowered  to  solicit  subscriptions.    He  was  absent  from  home  a  little 
1123  n  i 7 


98  HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

more  than  eight  months,  and  traveled  through  Georgia  and  South  Caro- 
lina. The  friends  in  these  provinces  came  to  the  help  of  the  cause  he 
pleaded  and  he  reported  to  the  corporation  the  sum  of  $2,500.  The 
funds  raised  by  Edwards  were  devoted  to  an  income  for  meeting  the 
salary  of  the  president,  and  those  raised  by  Smith  were  devoted  to  build- 
ing purposes.  In  the  South  these  subscriptions  ranged  from  £100  to  10 
shillings,  and  represented  a  large  number  of  subscribers,  but  were  not 
sufficient  to  sustain  the  college.  Before  steps  could  be  taken  to  raise 
more  money,  another  question  arose.  This  was  a  point  involving  the 
location  of  the  college,  whether  it  should  remain  at  Warren,  or  be 
removed  to  some  other  part  of  the  State. 

Morgan  Edwards,  one  of  the  early  chroniclers  of  the  college  writes: 

To  tho  year  1769  this  seminary  was  for  the  most  part  friendless  arid  moneyless,  and 
therefore  forlorn,  in  so  much  that  a  college  edifice  was  hardly  to  be  thought  of.  But 
Mr.  Edwards  making  remittances  from  England,  some  began  to  hope,  and  many  to 
fear  that  tho  institution  would  come  to  something  and  stand.  Then  a  building  and 
a  place  for  it  were  talked  of,  which  opened  a  new  scene  of  troubles  and  contentions 
that  had  well-nigh  ruined  all.  Warren  was  at  first  agreed  upon  as  a  proper  situa- 
tion, where  a  small  wing,  was  to  be  erected  in  the  spring  of  1770,  and  about  £800 
raised  towards  it.  But  soon  afterwards  some  who  were  unwilling  it  should  bo  there, 
and  some  who  were  unwilling  it  should  be  anywhere,  did  so  far  agree  as  to  lay  aside 
the  said  location  and  propose  that  the  county  which  should  raise  most  mono}'  should 
have  the  college.  Then  tho  four  counties  went  to  work  with  subscriptions. 

The  four  counties  were  Bristol,  Kent,  Newport,  and  Providence, 
although  at  the  outset  the  contest  lay  between  Warren  and  East  Green- 
wich. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  for  the  first  time  in  Warren,  a  committee 
of  four,  with  the  president,  reported  that  the  college  be  located  in  some 
part  of  the  county  of  Bristol,  and  it  was  so  voted.  Soon  after  that 
meeting  a  notice  appeared  in  the  Providence  and  Newport  paper 
that — 

Application  has  been  made  by  the  gentlemen  of  Kent  County  setting  forth  that 
they  have  opened  a  subscription  for  founding  and  endowing  said  college,  on  condi- 
tion that  the  edifice  be  erected  in  the  county  of  Kent;  and  desiring  an  opportunity 
for  assigning  their  reasons  to  the  corporation  for  a  reconsideration  of  their  vote  at 
their  last  meeting,  for  erecting  tho  edifice  in  the  county  of  Bristol.  Tho  meeting  of 
the  corporation  was  called  to  meet  at  Newport  November  14,  1769,  at  which  time 
and  place  the  gentlemen  concerned  in  securing  subscriptions  for  the  different  places 
aro  desired,  by  themselves  or  their  committees,  to  appear,  present  their  several  sub- 
scriptions, and  offer  their  reasons  in  favor  of  the  respective  places. 

This  notice  at  once  brought  the  matter  under  discussion  again. 
Moses  Brown  appears  to  have  been  the  first  to  suggest  that  the  college 
be  located  in  Providence.  At  the  meeting  of  the  corporation  memor- 
ials were  presented  from  the  towns  that  were  striving  to  secure  the 
prize.  How  far  their  zeal  was  influenced  by  a  desire  to  secure  the  best 
welfare  of  the  institution  can  not  be  determined.  The  arguments, 
however,  are  interesting.  In  the  memorial  from  Providence  the  fol- 
lowing were  alleged  as  reasons  why  the  college  should  be  placed  there: 

First,  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary  tliat  there  be  money  enough  collected  for 
erecting  tho  college  edifice  and  other  buildings.  Sensible  of  this  the  inhabitants 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  99 

we  represent  generously  subscribed  £800,  upon  principles  of  regard  and  esteem  for 
so  useful  and  necessary  an  institution. 

The  principal  benefit  to  a  college  is  the  number  of  students,  which  may  ration- 
ally bo  supposed  to  be  greater  at  Providence  than  at  either  of  the  other  places  pro- 
posed. Reference  was  made  to  the  catholicity  and  liberality  of  the  charter  and  the 
argument  advanced  that  students  of  various  denominations  could  find  churches  of 
their  own  order  at  Providence. 

There  was  also  the  central  situation,  the  free,  cheap,  and  easy  communication 
between  the  northern  colonies  and  the  several  towns  in  this  and  the  neighboring 
governments.  To  this  may  be  added  the  greater  plenty  and  cheapness  or  all  kinds 
of  provision,  fuel,  clothing,  and  cheapness  of  board. 

The  case  and  convenience  with  which  parents  may  visit  their  children  to  see  their 
proficiency,  as  well  as  in  case  of  sickness  or  accidents,  where  the  best  physicians 
and  remedies  are  at  hand.  *  *  * 

We  have  a  public  library  which,  in  the  infant  state  of  the  seminary,  must  be  very 
useful  to  all  the  scholars,  and  particularly  for  those  who  may  incline  to  the  study  of 
law  or  physic  (either  before  the  first  or  between  that  and  their  second  degree).  We 
have  not  only  large  and  useful  libraries  in  both  these  faculties,  but  gentlemen  of 
eminence,  who  would  be  very  useful  in  the  prosecution  of  such  studies. 

Wo  Lave  two  printing  offices,  which  will  much  contribute  to  the  emoluments  of 
the  college,  there  being  thus  published  a  weekly  collection  of  interesting  intelli- 
gence, which  not  only  tends  to  the  enlargement  of  the  minds  of  the  youth,  but 
which  will  give  them  early  opportunities  of  displaying  their  genius  upon  any  and 
useful  subjects,  and  which  must  excite  in  them  an  emulation  to  excel  in  their 
studies. 

Iii  the  memorial  from  East  Greenwich: 

The  county  of  Kent  is  the  most  proper  place  for  erecting  said  college  edifice. 

First.  It  is  situated  nearly  in  the  center  of  the  colony.  This  will  more  effectually 
accommodate  each  respective  county,  and  therefore  if  the  corporation  should  ever 
petition  for  the  aid  and  assistance  of  government,  it  is  more  probable  they  will  unite 
in  forwarding  and  promotiong  such  grants. 

Secondly.  The  local  subscriptions  of  Kent,  united  with  the  several  general  sub- 
scriptions, are  sufficient  to  build  and  complete  said  college,  and  those  temporary 
subscriptions  will  be  found  altogether  insufficient  for  keeping  up  and  perpetuating 
the  institutional  expenses. 

Thirdly.  As  institutions  of  this  kind  have  been  found  by  experience  not  to  pros- 
per in  popular  towns,  we  think  the  town  of  Providence  too  large  now  in  its  pres- 
ent condition.  As  it  is  a  place  well  calculated  for  trade,  it  is  altogether  reason- 
able from  thence  to  conclude  that  the  growth  and  enlargement  of  it  in  a  very  few 
years  will  render  it  quite  unsuitable  for  seminaries  of  learning  to  bo  placed  in.  The 
town  of  East  Greenwich,  on  the  contrary,  is  well  situated  as  to  pleasantness,  the 
town  being  largo  enough  to  accommodate  the  students  effectually,  and  situated  upon 
the  post  road,  so  that  an  easy  correspondence  might  be  had  with  any  part  of  the 
continent,  there  being  likewise  a  post-office  in  town,  and  every  other  advantage  as 
to  communication  with  other  governments  that  Providence  can  urge. 

Furthermore,  as  it  has  been  strongly  argued,  this  institution  is  founded  upon  the 
most  Catholic  plan,  therefore  they  say  they  have  singular  advantages  over  Kent  as 
to  the  accommodations  of  the  different  religious  denominations.  In  answer  to  this 
\ve  can  say,  in  behalf  of  Kent,  we  have  a  Friends'  and  a  Baptist  meeting  house 
nearly  situated  to  the  place  where  the  college  is  proposed  to  be  set;  also  a  meeting- 
house of  the  Separates  within  3  miles  of  East  Greenwich,  upon  a  good  road,  free 
from  ferries;  and  it  is  highly  probable,  if  the  college  is  fixed  at  Kent,  there  will  be 
a  church  and  a  Presbyterian  meeting  house  built  soon. 


100       HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

From  Newport  these  claims  were  urged: 

From  the  smalluess  of  the  college  funds  it  is  certain  that  the  principal  and  surest 
support  must  arise  from  the  number  of  students;  and  whoever  considers  the  number 
of  inhabitants  in  Newport,  the  reputation  of  the  island  for  health  and  pleasantness, 
the  easy  communication  we  have  with  all  parts  of  this  government,  and  with  the 
Western  and  Southern  colonies,  and  the  cheapness  with  which  pupils  may  be  boarded, 
must  confess  that  no  place  in  this  colony  is  so  proper  to  fix  the  college  in,  nor  so 
likely  to  afford  a  sufficient  number  of  students,  as  this  town  of  Newport. 

Besides,  a  considerable  advantage  may  be  derived  to  the  professors  and  students 
from  the  library  (The  Redwood)  in  this  town.  A  library  calculated  for  men  of  learn- 
ing, consisting  of  a  great  number  of  well-chosen  books  upon  all  arts  and  sciences,  as 
well  as  a  very  great  number  in  the  learned  languages,  the  use  of  which  maybe  allowd 
the  pupils,  under  the  discreet  care  of  the  president  and  tutors.  This,  in  the  infant 
state  of  the  college,  must  be  allowed  to  have  great  weight. 

Such  was  the  tone  and  such  were  the  arguments  used  by  the 
memorialists,  although  the  memorials  have  not  been  given  in  full.  In 
the  light  of  the  present  day  the  arguments  urged,  in  some  cases  appear 
amusing,  but  the  different  claimants  were  all  in  earnest  to  secure  the 
location.  The  meeting  called  for  November  14,  1769,  continued  three 
days.  Wednesday  morning  it  was  resolved : 

To  recede  from  the  vote  of  the  last  meeting  to  erect  the  college  edifice  in  the  town 
of  Bristol. 

In  the  afternoon  it  was  voted : 

That  the  business  of  the  corporation  be  not  postponed  to  a  distant  adjournment. 

Thursday  morning  it  was  resolved : 

That  the  place  for  erecting  the  college  be  now  fixed.  But  that,  nevertheless,  the 
committee,  who  shall  be  appointed  to  carry  on  the  building,  do  not  proceed  to  pro- 
cure any  other  materials  for  the  same,  excepting  such  as  may  be  easily  transported  to 
any  other  place,  should  another  hereafter  be  thought  better,  until  further  orders 
from^  this  corporation,  if  such  orders  be  given  before  the  1st  of  January  next; 
and  that  in  case  any  subscription  be  raised  in  the  county  of  Newport,  or  any  other 
county,  equal  or  superior  to  any  now  offered,  or  that  shall  then  be  offered,  and  the 
corporation  be  called  in  consequence  thereof,  that  then  the  vote  for  fixing  the  edifice 
shall  not  be  esteemed  binding,  but  so  that  the  corporation  may  fix  the  edifice  in 
another  place  in  case  they  shall  think  proper. 

The  last  meeting  of  the  corporation  to  decide  the  question  of  location 
was  held  at  Warren,  February  7,  1770.  Says  Manning  in  one  of  his 
letters : 

The  dispute  lasted  from  Wednesday  last,  10  o'clock  a.  in.,  until  the  same  hour  on 
Thursday  p.  m.  The  matter  was  debated  with  great  spirit  and  before  a  crowded 
audience.  The  vote  was  put,  recede  or  not.  It  went  not,  by  21  against  14.  In  the 
course  of  the  debates  there  was  sometimes  undue  warmth,  but  upon  the  whole  it 
subsided,  and  all  parties  seemed  much  more  unanimous  than  I  expected  in  after 
business.  Many  of  the  gentlemen  of  Newport  said  they  had  had  a  fair  hearing  and 
had  lost  it;  but  their  friendship  to  the  college  remained,  and  they  would  keep  their 
places,  pay  their  money,  and  forward  to  their  utmost  the  design. 

Thus  ended  the  controversy,  and  the  location  was  decided  in  favor 
of  Providence.  A  petition  was  made  to  the  assembly  for  a  charter 
for  a  college  in  Newport.  It  was  favorably  received  in  the  house, 
but  indefinitely  postponed  by  the  Senate. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  101 

FIRST    COMMENCEMENT. 

The  historian  Arnold  wrote  of  the  first  commencement,  September, 
1769: 

Four  years  had  elapsed  since  the  college  at  Warren  was  organized,  and  the  gradu- 
ating exercises  of  commencement  day  now  opened  a  new  era  and  established  the 
earliest  State  holiday  in  the  history  of  Rhode  Island.  It  was  a  great  occasion  for  the 
people  of  the  colony,  and  as  each  recurring  anniversary  of  this  time-honored  institu- 
tion of  learning  calls  together  from  distant  places  the  widely  scattered  alumni  of 
Brown  University  we  do  hut  renew  on  a  more  extended  scale  the  congratulations 
that  crowned  this  earliest  festival  of  Rhode  Island  college.  The  first  graduating 
class  consisted  of  7  members,  some  of  whom  were  destined  to  fill  conspicuous  places 
in  the  approaching  struggle  for  independence.  It  was  noticed  as  a  significant  fact 
that  all  who  participated  in  the  event  of  the  day,  from  the  president  to  the  candi- 
dates, were  clothed  in  American  manufactures.1 

The  members  of  the  class  were  Charles  Thompson,  valedictorian,  and 
afterwards  a  chaplain  in  the  Bevolutionary  army;  Richard  Stiles, 
salutatorian ;  Joseph  Belton,  Joseph  Eaton,  William  Williams,  William 
Rogers,  afterwards  a  chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  James 
Mitchell  Yarnum,  afterwards  a  brigadier-general  in  the  Revolution, 
an  eloquent  member  of  Congress  from  Rhode  Island,  and  finally  judge 
of  the  Northwestern  territory.  From  1  pupil  (William  Rogers)  at  the 

:  Contrast  with  the  above,  the  following  account  of  the  commencement  of  June, 
1878,  by  Prof.  Diman : 

Among  the  great  festival-s  which  break  the  rapid  and  unending  round  of  the  sea- 
sons there  is  none  that  brings  with  it  the  peculiar  associations  which  belong  to  that 
which  we  celebrate  to-day.  There  are  others  more  closely  connected  with  household 
memories,  or  with  the  great  events  of  ecclesiastical  or  civil  life;  but  commencement 
calls  back  the  buoyant  feelings  of  the  early  days  when  hope  was  bright  and  when 
aspiration  was  high,  and  the  long  procession  with  which  it  fills  our  streets,  le,ad  by 
the  alert  and  eager  step  of  youth  and  closed  with  the  tottering  steps  of  age,  is  a  sol- 
emn panorama  of  human  history.  There  are  other  processions  which  have  more  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  crowd,  but  there  is  none  more  impressive  to  a  thought- 
ful observer.  Year  by  year  for  more  than  a  century  it  has  pursued  its  accus- 
tomed route;  each  year  some  familiar  form  is  missing  from  it,  yet  each  year  the 
vacant  places  are  filled  and  it  grows  larger  and  larger  with  the  sturdy  growth 
of  the  ancient  university,  each  season  bringing  its  new  accessions,  one  day  in  turn  to 
become  gray-haired  and  pass  away.  We  can  not  but  think  that  some  wholesome 
lessons  are  conveyed  by  such  a  spectacle,  and  that  few  can  walk  to-day  in  this  long 
line,  in  which  successive  generations  are  thus  represented,  without  having  reflec- 
tions tinged  with  a  more  sober  coloring.  It  must  be  a  benefit  once  a  year  to  turn 
aside  from  the  accustomed  associations,  which  so  often  are  centered  in  selfish  and  lim- 
ited aims,  and  which,  when  eagerly  pursued,  so  often  withdraw  us  from  a  wide  sym- 
pathy with  our  fellows,  and  revive  the  generous  aspirations  of  youth  and  renew  the 
cordial  fellowship  which  is  the  distinctive  note  of  a  liberal  culture.  It  is  easy 
to  understand  the  feeling  which  restrained  many,  especially  the  older  graduates, 
from  taking  part  in  this  annual  academic  festivity.  The  thinned  ranks  of  the  classes 
that  close  the  procession  mingle  a  bitter  drop  in  the  joy  with  which  the  survivors 
greet  each  other.  Yet  we  can  not  but  think  that  they  act  more  wisely  who  keep 
green  in  old  age  the  recollections  of  youth,  and  who  once  a  year  make  themselves 
young  again  among  their  old  college  classmates. 


102        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION   IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

opening  of  the  college,  it  had  grown  to  the    number  of   7  at  grad- 
uation.    From  the  daily  paper  is  taken  the  order  of  exercises: 

1.  The  salutatory  oration.     Richard  Stiles. 

2.  Tho  Americans,  in  their  present  circumstances,  can  not  consistent  with  good 
policy  affect  to  become  an  independent  state;  a  forensic  dispute.     Jaines  M.  Varnum 
and  William  Williams. 

3.  An  oration  on  benevolence.     William  Rogers. 

4.  Materia  cogitaro  non  potest.     A  syllogistic  disputation  in  Latin.     William  Wil- 
liams, Joseph  Belton,  Joseph  Eaton,  William  Rogers,  James  M.  Varnum. 

5.  The  oratorial  art;  an  oration  with  tho  valedictory  addresses.     Charles  Thomp- 
son. 

The  following  account  of  the  first  commencement  appeared  in  the 
Providence  Gazette  and  County  Journal: 

On  Thursday,  tho  7th  instant,  was  celebrated  at  Warren  the  first  commencement 
in  the  college  of  this  colony.  About  10  o'clock  a.  m.  tho  gentlemen  concerned  in 
conducting  the  affairs  of  the  college,  together  with  the  candidates,  went  in  proces- 
sion to  the  meetinghouse.  After  they  had  taken  their  seats,  respectively,  and  tho 
audience  were  composed  the  president  introduced  the  business  of  tho  day  with 
prayer.  Then  followed  a  salutatory  oration  in  Latmt  pronounced  with  much  spirit, 
by  Mr.  Stiles,  which  procured  him  great  applause  from  the  learned  part  of  the 
assembly.  Ho  spoke  upon  the  advantages  of  liberty  and  learning  and  their  mutual 
dependence  upon  each  other,  concluding  with  proper  salutations  to  the  chancellor 
of  the  college,  governor  of  tho  colony,  etc.,  particularly  expressing  the  gratitude  of 
all  the  friends  of  tho  college  to  tho  Rev.  Morgan  Edwards,  who  has  encountered 
many  difficulties  in  going  to  Europe  to  collect  donations  for  the  institution  and  has 
lately  returned. 

To  which  succeeded  a  forensic  dispute,  in  English,  on  tho  following  thesis,  namely: 
"  Tho  Americans,  in  their  present  circumstances,  can  not,  consistent  with  good  pol- 
icy, aifect  to  become  an  independent  State."  Mr.  Varnum  ingenuously  defended  it  by 
cogent  arguments  handsomely  dressed,  though  he  was  subtly  but  delicately  opposed 
by  Mr.  Williams,  both  of  whom  spoko  with  emphasis  and  propriety.  As  a  conclu- 
sion to  the  exercises  of  tho  forenoon  the  audience  were  agreeably  entertained  with 
an  oration  on  benevolence  by  Mr.  Rogers,  in  which,  among  many  other  pertinent 
observations,  he  particularly  noticed  the  necessity  which  that  infant  seminary 
stands  in  of  the  salutary  effects  of  that  truly  Christian  virtue. 

At  3  o'clock  p.m.,  the  audience  being  convened,  a  syllogistic  dispute  was  intro- 
duced on  this  thesis:  "  Materia  cogitare  nou  potest" — Mr.  Williams  the  respondent; 
Messrs.  Belton,  Eaton,  Rogers,  and  Varnum  the  opponents — in  the  course  of  which 
dispute  tho  principal  arguments  on  both  sides  were  produced  toward  settling  that 
critical  point.  The  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts  was  then  conferred  on  tho  candidates. 

A  concise,  pertinent,  and  solemn,  charge  was  then  given  to  the  bachelors  by  the 
president,  concluding  with  his  last  paternal  benediction,  which  naturally  introduced 
the  valedictory  orator,  Mr.  Thompson,  who,  after  some  remarks  upon  tho  excellence  of 
the  oratorical  art  and  expressions  of  gratitude  to  the  patrons  and  officers  of  tho  college, 
together  with  fi  valediction  to  them  and  all  present,  took  a  most  affectionate  leave 
of  his  classmates.  Tho  scene  was  tender,  the  subject  felt,  and  tho  audience  affected. 

The  president  concluded  the  exercises  with  prayer.  Tho  whole  was  concluded  with 
a  propriety  and  solemnity  suitable  to  tho  occasion.  The  audience  (consisting  of  the 
principal  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  this  colony  and  many  from  the  neighboring  gov- 
ernments), though  large  and  crowded,  behaved  with  tho  utmost  decorum.  In  the 
evening  Rev.  Morgan  Edwards,  by  particular  request,  preached  a  sermon,  especially 
addressed  to  the  graduates  and  students,  from  Phil,  in:  8  :  "  Yea,  doubtless,  and  I 
count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  tho  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my 
Lord,"  in  which  (after high  encomiums  on  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences,)  the  superior 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  103 

knowledge  of  Christ,  or  the  Christian  science,  was  clearly  find  fully  illustrated 
in  several  striking  examples  and  similes,  one  of  which  follows  :  "When  the  sun 
is  below  the  horizon  the  stars  excel  in  glory;  but  when  his  orb  irradiates  our 
hemisphere  their^glory  dwindles,  fades  away,  and  disappears." 

Not  only  the  candidates,  but  even  the  president  were  dressed  in  American  manu- 
factures. Finally,  be  it  observed  that  this  class  are  the  first  sons  of  that  college 
which  has  existed  for  more  that  four  years,  during  all  which  time  it  has  labored 
under  great  disadvantages,  notwithstanding  the  warm  patronage  and  encourage- 
ment of  many  worthy  men  of  fortune  and  benevolence,  and  it  is  hoped,  from  the 
disposition  which  many  discovered  011  that  day  and  other  favorable  circumstances, 
that  these  disadvantages  will  soon,  in  part,  be  happily  removed. 

The  custom  which  was  then  begun  of  having  a  sermon  on  com- 
mencement was  continued  until  Dr.  Way  land's  administration  in  1828. 
Its  place  has  been  taken  by  the  president's  levee,  held  on  the  evening 
of  commencement.  The  sermon  to  the  graduating  class  is  delivered 
the  Sunday  before  commencement.  Commencement  has  been  changed 
from  September  to  the  third  Wednesday  in  June.  Class  day  occurs  on 
the  Friday  before  commencement. 

In  1786  these  two  resolutions  were  passed  by  the  corporation : 

Resolved,  That  in  future  the  candidates  for  bachelor  degrees,  being  alumni  of  the 
college,  shall  bo  clad  at  commencement  in  black  flowing  robes  and  caps,  similar  to 
those  used  at  other  universities. 

Resolved,  That  an  exclusive  right  of  furnishing  such,  robes  and  caps,  for  the  use  of 
the  candidates,  be  granted  and  confirmed  to  an  undertaker  for  the  space  of  fifteen 
years. 

COURSE    OF    STUDY. 

The  colleges  and  universities  of  this  country  were  founded  upon  the 
model  of  those  in  the  mother  country.  There  the  universities  were 
established  for  those  who  were  intended  for  the  professions  of  divinity 
and  law.  The  courses  of  study  were  strong  in  the  classics  or  in  math- 
ematics. There  was  nothing  in  the  early  history  of  the  college  like  a 
course  of  study  as  it  is  understood  to-day,  but  from  a  revision  of  the 
laws  made  in  1783  some  idea  of  the  curriculum  can  be  gathered: 

The  president  and  tutors,  according  to  their  judgments,  shall  teach,  and  instruct 
the  several  classes  in  the  learned  languages  and  in  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences, 
together  with  the  vernacular  tongue. 

The  following  arc  the  classes  appointed  for  the  first  year,  namely:  In  Latin.  Vir- 
gil, Cicero's  Orations,  and  Horace,  all  in  usum  Delphini;  in  Greek,  the  New  Testa- 
ment,- Lucian's  Dialogues,  and  Xenophon's  Cyropredia.  For  the  second  year,  in 
Latin,  Cicero  de  Oratore,  and  Caesar's  Commentaries;  in  Greek,  Homer's  Iliad,  and 
Longinns  on  the  Sublime,  together  with  Lowth's  Vernacular  Grammar,  rhetoric, 
Ward's  Oratory,  Sheridan's  Lectures  on  Elocution,  Guthrie's  Geography,  Kaime's 
Elements  of  Criticism,  Watts  and  Duncan's  Logic.  For  the  third  year,  Hutchin- 
:-on:s  Moral  Philosophy,  Doddridge's  Lectures,  Fenning's  Arithmetic,  Hammond's 
Algebra,  Stone's  Euclid,  Martin's  Trigonometry,  Love's  Surveying,  Wilson's  Navi- 
gation, Martin's  Philosophia  Britannica,  and  Ferguson's  Astronomy,  with  Martin  on 
the  Globes.  In  the  last  year,  Locke  on  the  Understanding,  Kennedy's  Chronology, 
and  Boliugbroke  on  History,  and  the  languages,  arts,  and  sciences  studied  in  the 
foregoing  years  to  be  accurately  reviewed. 

Two  of  the  students,  in  lotation,  shall,  every  evening  after  prayers,  pronounce  a 
piece  upon  the  stage ;  and  the  members  of  the  college  shall  meet  every  Wednesday 


104        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

afternoon  in  the  hall,  at  the  ringing  of  the  bell  at  2  o'clock,  to  pronounce,  before 
the  president  and  the  tutors,  pieces  well  committed  to  memory,  and  that  they  may 
receive  such  corrections  in  their  manner  as  shall  be  judged  necessary. 

It  is  not  permitted  anyone,  in  the  hours  of  study,  to  speak  to  another  except  in 
Latin,  either  in  the  college  or  in  the  college  yard. 

»  • 

MANAGEMENT. 

The  management, of  the  university  is  vested  in  a  corporation  which 
consists  of  two  branches — that  of  the  trustees  and  that  of  the  fellows — 
with  distinct,  separate,  and  respective  powers.  The  trustees  are  36  in 
number,  of  whom  22  are  forever  to  be  elected  of  the  denomination  called 
Baptists,  or  Antipaedobaptists,  5  of  the  denomination  called  Friends, 
or  Quakers,  5  ot  the  denomination  called  Episcopalians,  and  4  of  the 
denomination  called  Congregationalists.  These  were  the  denomina- 
tions of  New  England  a  century  ago.  The  number  of  the  fellows, 
including  the  president,  who  must  always  be  a  fellow,  is  12,  of  whom  8 
are  forever  to  be  elected  of  the  denomination  called  Baptists,  and  the 
rest  indifferently  of  any  or  of  all  denominations.  The  president  must 
forever  be  a  Baptist.  Once  in  three  years  the  corporation,  at  its  annual 
meetings,  must  chose  from  among  the  trustees  a  chancellor  of  the  uni- 
versity and  a  treasurer,  and  from  among  the  fellows  a  secretary.  The 
office  of  chancellor  is  merely  to  preside  as  m<  derator  of  the  trustees, 
the  president,  or  in  his  absence,  the  senior  fellow,  being  the  moderator 
of  the  fellows.  The  instruction  and  immediate  government  of  the  col- 
lege is,  and  must  forever  continue,  to  rest  in  the  president  and  fellows, 
or  fellowship,  to  whom,  as  a  "  learned  faculty,"  belongs  exclusively  the 
privileges  of  adjudging  and  conferring  the  academical  degrees. 

PROMINENT  MEN. 

Among  nearly  all  the  men  of  that  day  who  were  farseeing  and  who 
appreciated  the  advantages  of  education  for  their  own  and  for  succeed- 
ing generations,  the  college  made  friends.  It  also  received  the  sup- 
port of  those  who  were  not  directly  engaged  in  literary  pursuits,  but 
were  in  business  or  in  commerce.  This  was  the  period  of  great  activity 
in  the  colony,  as  her  magnificent  bay  afforded  a  means  of  distribution 
for  all  New  England,  so  that  the  benefits  of  commerce  might  be  real- 
ized and  appropriated.  The  connection  between  commerce  and  educa- 
tion finds  many  illustrations  in  our  colonial  history.  The  interest  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic  has  been  seen,  in  the  success  which  Edwards 
met  in  securing  funds  for  the  college.  Then  too,  at  the  South,  there 
was  displayed  the  same  zeal. 

In  Governor  Hopkins  the  college  had  a  firm  friend,  and  his  interest 
was  recognized  by  his  election  as  chancellor.  He  was  an  advocate  of 
the  location  of  the  college  at  Providence,  and  by  his  extensive  learning 
and  genuine  love  of  literature  proved  a  most  efficient  coadjutor  of  Presi- 
dent Manning,  in  all  the  plans  and  efforts  of  the  latter,  for  the  effi- 
ciercy  and  usefulness  of  the  college.  The  Browns,  from  one  of  whom 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  105 

the  university  takes  its  name,  have  ever  been  deeply  interested  in  this 
seat  of  learning. 

In  1866  Mr.  Ives  resigned  the  treasurership.  For  nearly  a  century  the  affairs  of  the 
college  had  been  managed,  as  we  have  seen,  with  uncommon  wisdom  and  skill,  by 
the  representatives  of  a  single  family.  It  is  doubtful  if  a  similar  instance  can  bo 
found  in  the  history  of  any  other  college,  and  it  is  certain  that  there  can  not  be 
found  four  successive  treasurers  thus  related,  who  have  displayed  such  remarkable 
munificence,  ability,  and  zeal  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  an  institution  of  learning. 
For  this  the  names  of  John  Brown,  Nicholas  Brown,  Moses  Brown  Ives,  and  Robert 
Hale  Ives  will  be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance  by  the  graduates  and  friends  of 
Brown  University.1 

In  colonial  days  appear  the  names  of  Dr.  Ephriam  Bo  wen,  Governor 
Joseph  Wanton,  Hon.  James  Honeyman,  of  Newport;  Nicholas  Easton, 
a  prominent  merchant  of  Newport;  Governor  Samuel  Ward,  Dr.  Joshua 
Babcock,  of  Westerly;  Judge  Daniel  Jenckes,  Kev.  Samuel  Stillman, 
of  Boston;  Eev.  John  Gano,  of  New  York,  and  Jabez  Bowen.  Many, 
by  self-sacrifice,  sent  their  sons  to  the  institution,  thereby  recognizing 
its  usefulness;  others,  when  the  university  was  inveighed  against, 
defended  her  good  name.  It  is  gratifying  to  think  that  many  of  them 
lived  to  see  the  institution  established  on  a  firm  basis  and  to  see  the 
sons  of  Brown  rising  up  to  call  her  blessed. 

DISCIPLINE. 

Regarding  the  early  discipline  of  the  college  we  have  the  ideas  of 
Manning  himself,  in  a  set  of  rules  which  he  prepared  in  1783 : 

And  whereas,  the  statutes  are  few  and  general,  there  must  necessarily  be  lodged 
with  the  president  and  tutors  a  discretional  or  parental  authority;  therefore,  where 
no  statute  is  particularly  and  expressly  provided  for  a  case  that  may  occur,  they  are 
to  exercise  this  discretionary  authority  according  to  the  known  customs  of  similar 
institutions  and  the  plain,  general  rules  of  the  moral  law.  And  in  general  the  pen- 
alties are  to  be  of  the  more  humane  kind,  such  as  are  at  once  expressive  of  compas- 
sion for  the  offender  and  of  indignation  at  the  offence,  such  as  are  adapted  to  work 
upon  the  nobler  principles  of  humanity,  and  to  move  the  more  honorable  springs  of 
good  order  and  submission  to  government. 

College  life  then  was  regulated  more  on  the  basis  of  the  family.  The 
professors  and  the  tutors  lived  under  the  same  roof  with  the  students, 
and  daily  visits  of  inspection  were  a  part  of  their  duties.  The  follow- 
ing correspondence  will  illustrate  the  parental  care  and  duties  of  the 
president : 

The  late  Judge  Peleg  Arnold,  when  about  18  years  of  age,  in  going  to  mill,  heard, 
as  he  approached  Friends'  meeting-house  at  Upper  Smithfield,  a  great  noise  like  the 
breaking  in  of  windows,  and,  being  desirous  of  ascertaining  the  cause,  rode  up  the 
hill  to  within  about  20  rods  of  the  house,  when  he  discovered  two  young  men  on 
horseback,  each  with  a  club,  smashing  in  the  front  windows  of  the  meetinghouse. 

Immediately  on  seeing  him  they  wheeled  and  rode  off  at  lull  speed.  He  being  a 
vigorous  young  man  and  determined  to  ascertain  who  they  were,  in  order  to  bring 
them  to  justice,  threw  his  bag  of  corn  in  the  road  and  started  in  pursuit.  The  race 
was  a  sharp  one  and  continued  for  6  miles,  when  the  judge  came  up  with  and  stopped 


Brown  University,  by  R.  A.  Guild,  p.  335. 


106        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

them  on  Cumberland  Hill.  After  learning  their  names  and  places  of  residence  he 
permitted  them  to  proceed.  One  of  the  young  men  proved  to  be  a  student  in  the 
college,  and  the  president,  being  informed  of  the  circumstance,  wrote  to  the  clerk 
of  the  monthly  meeting  the  following  letter: 

*  PROVIDENCE,  December  12,  1770. 

SIR:  You  may  think  strange  that  I,  a  stranger  to  you,  should  address  you  by  this 
epistle,  but  will  excuse  me  when  I  give  the  reason,  which  is  an  information  that  I 
have  received  that  one  Scott,  a  youth  under  my  tuition,  some  time  ago,  riding 
through  Smithfield  (in  company  with  one  Dennis,  of  Newport),  rode  up  to  and  in  a 
most  audaciously  wicked  manner  broke  the  windows  of  the  Friends'  meeting-house 
in  said  town,  of  which  meeting  I  understand  you  are  clerk.  Upon  the  first  hearing 
of  this  scandalous  report  I  charged  him  with  the  fact,  which  he  confessed,  with  no 
small  degree  of  apparent  penitence;  whereupon  I  thought  good  to  inform  you,  and 
by  you  the  meeting,  that  they  shall  have  ample  reparation  of  damages  and  such 
other  satisfaction  as  they  shall  think  proper,  being  determined  to  punish  with  the 
utmost  vigor  all  such  perverse  youth  as  may  be  entrusted  to  my  care,  as  I  hold  such 
base  conduct  in  the  greatest  detestation. 

You  will  bo  so  good  as  to  let  me  know  when  the  first  meeting  of  business  is  held, 
that  I  may  send  him  up  to  appear  before  them,  and  make  not  only  reparation,  but  such 
a  confession  before  the  meeting  as  shall  be  fully  satisfactory.  I  choose  to  mortify 
him  in  this  way,  and  should  bo  very  glad  that  some  of  the  heads  of  the  meeting 
would  admonish  him  faithfully,  and  show  him  the  evil  of  such  doings,  if  this  would 
be  agreeable  to  them;  but  I  speak  this,  not  to  direct  them  in  the  matter,  but  what 
would  be  agreeable  to  me.  When  this  is  settled,  we  shall  discipline  him  with  the 
highest  punishment  wo  inflict,  next  to  banishment  from  the  society;  and  with  that, 
if  he  does  not  comply  with  the  above. 

The  youth  lias  been  but  few  months  under  my  care,  is  a  child  of  a  respectable 
family  in  Kingston,  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  had  his  school  learning  at  New  Haven. 
I  am  sorry  for  his  friends,  and  that  it  happened  to  fall  to  my  lot  to  have  such  a 
thoughtless,  vicious  pupil;  but  am  determined  this  shall  be  the  last  enormity,  one 
exeepted,  of  which  he  shall  be  guilty  while  under  my  care.  I  hope  the  meeting 
will  inform  me  how  he  complies  with  these  injunctions,  if  they  thinkproper  to  take 
these  or  any  other  methods.  Please,  by  the  first  opportunity,  to  favor  me  with  a 
line  iu  answer  to  the  above  requests  and  you  will  do  a  favor  to  a  real  friend. 

JAMES  MANNING. 

Mr.  THOMAS  LAPHAM,  JR.,  in  Smithfield. 

In  reply  to  which,  as  requested,  Thomas  Lapham,  jr.,  sent  him  the  following 
letter: 

SMITHFIELD,  the  17th  of  12tli  mo.,  1770. 

RESPECTED  FRIEND:  These  may  inform  that  I  received  thy  letter  of  the  12th 
inst.,  concerning  one  of  thy  pupil's  base  conduct,  in  breaking  the  windows  of  our 
meetinghouse,  and  agreeably  to  thy  request  therein,  I  hereby  inform,  that  our 
meetings  for  business  are  held  on  the  last  fifth  day  of  every  month ;  so  that  our  next 
will  be  on  the  last  fifth  day  (or  Thursday)  of  this  instant,  at  the  house  where  the 
windows  were  broken.  A  meeting  for  worship  begins  at  11  o'clock,  and  commonly 
holds  two  hours;  then  begins  the  meeting  for  business.  Therefore,  if  the  youth 
appear  before  us,  I  intend  to  send  thee  an  account  of  his  second  progress.  I  am 
glad  to  hear  such  proper  methods  proposed  for  the  settling  of  his  scandalous  deed, 
and  that  the  affairs  of  the  college  may  be  so  conducted  as  to  be  a  means  of  promot- 
ing virtue  and  piety,  which  are  far  preferable  to  arts  and  sciences,  is  the  real  desire 
of  one  who  wishes  v/ell  unto  all. 

THOMAS  LAPHAM,  JR. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  107 

The  young  man,  according  to  the  direction  of  the  president,  appeared  before  the 
next  monthly  meeting  for  business,  and  informed  the  meeting  what  he  had  done, 
made  a  suitable  acknowledgment,  paid  the  damage  done  to  the  windows,  received 
some  wholesome  admonition  and  advice,  and  returned  to  his  college  duties,  it  is  to 
be  hoped,  a  better  man. 

LAND    AND    BUILDINGS. 

The  first  of  the  college  buildings  erected  in  Providence  was  Univer- 
sity Hall.  This  was  modeled  after  Nassau  Hall  of  Princeton.  Per- 
haps none  of  the  college  buildings  has  undergone  more  changes  than 
this.  Here  was  the  chapel,  and  here  was  the  dining  hall  when  "  com- 
mons ".was  in  vogue;  during  the  Revolution,  barracks  and  a  hospital 
were  made  from  the  hall;  its  rooms  were  used  for  dormitories  and  for 
recitations.  The  old  student  in  returning  to  Brown  to-day  would  not 
recognize  the  buildings ;  of  the  original  plan  all  that  remains  are  the 
walls.  The  interior  has  been  fitted  up  in  suites  of  rooms,  and  the 
entries  which  were  formerly  the  scenes  of  midnight  revelry  have  been 
divided  and  changed. 

The  first  reference  to  a  building  is  on  the  records  of  the  second  meet- 
ing of  the  corporation  held  in  1765,  from  which  it  appears  $1,992  was 
subscribed  for  the  building  and  for  endowing  the  college.  A  commit- 
tee was  chosen  with  instructions  to  take  the  matter  in  charge,  but 
before  a  decision  was  reached  the  question  regarding  the  permanent 
location  of  the  college  arose.  As  soon  as  that  was  settled,  by  the  vote 
of  1770,  which  brought  the  college  to  Providence,  it  was  voted  that  the 
college  edifice  be  built  according  to  the  following  plan,  viz:  That  the 
house  be  150  feet  long  and  46  feet  wide,  with  a  projection  of  10  feet  on 
each  side  (10  by  30),  and  that  it  be  four  stories  high. 

The  lot  selected  for  the  building  comprised  originally  about  8  acres,  and  included 
a  portion  of  the  "home  lot"  of  Chad  Brown  (who  was  one  of  the  original  proprie- 
tors after  the  native  Indians  of  whom  it  was  purchased).  It  was  for  this  reason 
purchased  through  the  agency  of  the  Brown  family,  in  order  that  the  college  might 
stand  on  the  "original  house-lot  or  home  share,  so  called,  of  their  pious  ancestor  "! 

Describing  the  location  at  that  time,  Mr.  Edwards  writes  regarding 
it  as  "  remarkably  airy,  healthful,  and  pleasant,  being  the  summit  of  a 
hill  pretty  easy  of  ascent  and  commanding  a  prospect  of  the  town  of 
Providence  below,  of  the  Narragansett  Bay  and  the  islands,  and  of  an 
extensive  country,  variegated  with  hills  and  dales,  woods  and  planes, 
etc.  Surely  this  spot  was  made  for  a  seat  of  the  muses."  This  build- 
ing and  the  president's  house  were  carried  along  together.  The  amount 
expended  was  $9,480.  u  Sundry  supplies'7  were  furnished  by  Nicholas 
Brown  &  Co.  The  account  which  was  rendered  of  them  as  well  as  the 
money  expended  by  the  building  committee,  shows  some  of  the  customs 
and  of  the  cuirent  prices  of  that  day. 


1  Brown  University  with  illustrative  documents.     R.  A.  Guild,  232.     The  cost  of 

the  land  was  $730. 


108  N    HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

1770.  £    8.  p. 

Jan.     1.  To  cash  paid  for  tlie  postage  of  a  letter  to  the  corporation 1  6 

May  23.  To  3  pts.  rum  allowed  John  Jenckes  for  the  scow  men 0  10 

May  25.  To  onc-ha'f  day's  work  of  Earle's  negro 1  6 

May  25.  To  cash  paid  Comstock  for  one-half  day's  carting  with  three  crea- 

turcs 3  0 

June    1.  To  one  wheelbarrow,  new,  but  broke  to  pieces  in  the  service 10  6 

June  19.  To  £  gall.  West  India  rum  for  the  digging  of  the  well 2  0 

Aug.  25.  To  4  galls.  West  India  rum,  very  good  and  old,  and  1  Ib.  sugar, 

third  floor 15  7^ 

Oct,  13.  To  3  galls.  West  India  rum  when  raising  roof 10  6 

1771. 

Feb.    7.  To  1  box  glass  for  president's  house 3     3  0 

Mar.    8.  To  cash  paid  Ebenezer  Lelaud  for  painting  the  college  and  presi- 
dent's house "..  .  9     0  0 

REVOLUTIONARY    PERIOD. 

Rhode  Island,  together  with  the  other  colonies,  had  felt  the  oppres- 
sion which  brought  on  the  Revolution;  the  sentiments  of  the  young 
men  as  expressed  in  their  graduating  speeches  indicated  a  strong 
patriotism.  In  June,  1775,  the  following  extract  appeared  in  the 
Providence  Gazette: 

To  the  reverend  president,  honorable  professor,  and  rest  of  the  honorable  corporation 

of  Rhode  Island  College— the  dutiful  petition  of  the  senior  class: 
MOST  WORTHY  PATRONS  :  Deeply  affected  with  the  distress  of  our  oppressed 
country,  which  now,  most  unjustly,  feels  the  baneful  effects  of  arbitrary  power, 
provoked  to  the  greatest  height  of  cruelty  and  vengeance  by  the  noble  and  manly 
resistance  of  a  free  and  determined  people,  permit  us,  gentlemen,  to  approach  you 
with  this,  our  humble  and  dutiful  petition,  that  you  would  be  pleased  to  take  under 
your  serious  consideration  the  propriety  of  holding  the  ensuing  commencement  in  a 
public  manner,  as  usual;  whether  such  a  celebration  of  that  anniversary  would  be 
in  conformity  to  the  eighth  article  of  the  association  formed  by  the  grand  American 
Congress,  and  which  all  the  colonies  are  all  religiously  executing,  and  that  you 
would  be  pleased  to  signify  unto  us  your  resolution  respecting  the  same,  that  we 
may  govern  ourselves  accordingly. 

JOSIAH  REED, 
ANDREW  LAW, 
JAMKS  FULTON, 

Committee  in  Behalf  of  the  Senior  Class. 
COLLEGE  IN  PROVIDENCE,  June  8,  1775. 

The  corporation  recognized  the  patriotism  of  the  class  and  the  sacri- 
fice that  would  be  entailed  by  the  omission  of  the  commencement  exer- 
cises. This  was  a  great  sacrifice,  for  the  commencement  then  was  an 
important  event  in  the  life  of  the  student.  The  day  was  a  holiday  in 
the  city,  and  many  went  to  the  exercises  to  do  the  young  men  honor. 
Concluding  the  reply  to  the  petition,  it  was  said: 

Institutions  of  learning  will  doubtless  partake  in  the  common  calamities  of  our 
country,  as  arms  have  ever  proved  unfriendly  to  the  more  refined  and  liberal  arts 
and  sciences;  yet  we  are  resolved  to  continue  college  orders  here  as  usual,  excepting 
that  the  usual  commencement,  by  the  advice  of  such  of  the  corporation  as  could 
conveniently  be  consulted,  will  not  be  public. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  109 

The  graduating  class  numbered  ten,  and  theirs  was  the  last  commence- 
ment till  1782.  In  December,  1776,  the  city  was  in  control  of  the  British 
and  the  college  was  closed,  the  following  notice  appearing  in  the  papers : 

This  is  to  inform  all  the  students  that  their  attendance  on  college  orders  is  hereby 
dispensed  with  until  the  end  of  the  next  spring  vacation,  and  that  they  are  at  lib- 
erty to  return  home  or  prosecute  their  studies  elsewhere,  as  they  think  proper,  and 
that  those  who  pay  as  particular  attention  to  their  studies  as  these  confused  times 
will  admit,  shall  then  be  considered  in  the  same  light  and  standing  as  if  they  had 
given  the  usual  attendance  here. 

In  witness  whereof  I  subscribe, 

JAMES  MANNING. 

PROVIDENCE,  December  10,  1776. 

Accordingly,  till  May,  1782,  the  course  of  studies  was  suspended. 
In  1769  there  were  13  students,  and  the  whole  number  from  that  date  to 
the  year  1776  was  197.  In  1780  a  meeting  of  the  corporation  was  called, 
to  see  if  the  college  could  be  revived.  Money  was  very  scarce,  so  Man- 
ning offered  to  accept  £60,  or  $300,  for  his  salary  instead  of  £100,  which 
he  had  been  receiving.  This  was  in  April.  On  a  Sunday  in  June  the 
college  building  was  seized,  in  accordance  with  a  council  of  war,  for  a 
hospital  for  the  French  troops.  It  had  been  seized  before  and  used  as 
barracks. 

In  the  journal  of  an  aid-de-carnp  of  Count  de  Eochambeau,  who 
visited  Providence,  reference  is  made  to  the  city  and  the  college: 

Providence  est  une  assez  jolie  petite  ville,  tres  cornmercante  avant  la  guerre,  il  ii'y 
a  rien  de  curieux  qu'un  hopital  de  la  plus  grande  beaute. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  corporation  in  1782  provision  was  made  for  the 
immediate  instruction  of  the  youth.  The  building  was  in  a  very  bad 
condition,  from  its  occupancy  as  barracks  and  as  a  hospital.  The  money 
for  its  repair  was  raised  by  the  corporation.  The  public  commence- 
ments were  resumed  in  1783,  but  the  next  was  not  held  till  1786,  because, 
on  account  of  the  suspension  of  the  college  exercises,  there  were  no 
students  to  graduate. 

Manning  felt  the  need  of  instruction  in  the  French  language,  and  a 
memorial  to  the  French  King  was  drawn  up,  in  which  his  assistance 
was  solicited  toward  securing  a  professor  and  a  collection  of  books. 
In  the  words  of  the  memorial  : 

Ignorant  of  the  French  language,  and  separated  as  we  were  by  more  than  mere 
distance  of  countries,  we  too  readily  imbibed  the  prejudices  of  the  English — prej- 
udices which  we  have  renounced  since  we  have  had  a  nearer  view  of  the  brave 
army  of  France,  who  actually  inhabited  this  college  edifice;  since  which  time  our 
youth  seek  with  avidity  whatever  can  give  them  information  respecting  the  char- 
acter, genius,  and  influence  of  a  people  they  have  such  reason  to  admire — a  nation 
so  eminently  distinguished  for  polished  humanity. 

To  satisfy  this  laudable  thirst  of  knowledge  nothing  was  wanting  but  to  encour- 
age and  diffuse  the  French  language;  and  that  not  merely  as  the  principal  means 
of  rendering  an  intercourse  with  our  brethren  of  France  more  easy  and  beneficial, 
but  also  for  spreading  far  and  wide  the  history  of  the  so  celebrated  race  of  kings, 
statesmen,  philosophers,  poets,  and  benefactors  of  mankind  which  France  has  pro- 
duced. 


110        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

This  address  was  given  to  Thomas  Jefferson  to  present  to  the  king, 
but  in  his  judgment  it  was  thought  inopportune.  As  the  matter  had 
been  intrusted  to  him  his  opinion  was  accepted. 

Manning  was  constantly  writing  to  get  his  friends  in  England  inter- 
ested in  the  college.  To  Thomas  Llewelyn,  of  London,  he  wrote,  sug- 
gesting that  he  make  such  a  subscription  to  the  college  as  would  entitle 
it  to  be  called  by  his  name:  "  Cambridge  College  was  so  fortunate  as 
to  attract  the  attention  of  a  Hollis,  New  Haven  of  a  Yale,  and  New 
Hampshire  of  a  Dartmouth,  who  have  given  their  names  to  these  seats 
of  learning.  We  should  think  ourselves  no  less  happy  in  the  patronage 
of  a  Llewelyn.  Llewelyn  College  appears  well  when  written,  and 
sounds  no  less  agreeably  when  spoken." 

At  the  March  session  of  the  assembly,  in  1786,  Manning  was  chosen 
unanimously  to  represent  Rhode  Island  in  the  Congress  of  the  Con- 
federation. At  first  he  was  averse  to  accepting  the  election  on  account 
of  his  connection  with  the  college,  but  a  feeling  of  public  spirit  and 
devotion  to  the  college  influenced  him  to  accept.  That  the  latter  was 
the  chief  reason  appears  in  one  of  his  letters  of  that  year: 

Pray  don't  be  alarmed  should  you  hear  that  I  am  in  Congress.  The  motive  of  my 
accepting  this  most  unexpected,  unsolicited,  but  unanimous  appointment  of  the 
State  to  that  office  was  the  recovery  of  a  considerable  sum  due  to  the  college 
for  the  use  taken  of  the  edifice  and  the  damage  done  to  it  by  the  public  in  the  late 
war.  It  was  thought  by  those  most  acquainted  with  the  state  of  our  application  to 
that  honorable  body  that  my  presence  would  facilitate  that  grant;  more  especially 
since  none  of  the  persons  likely  to  bo  elected  would  greatly  interest  themselves  in 
that  business. 

Manning  did  not  succeed  in  this,  and  it  was  fourteen  years  after 
before  any  recognition  of  the  claim  was  made  by  Congress.  The  sum 
received  in  compensation  was  stated  by  Dr.  Benedict  to  be  $2,000. 
Manning  said  that  the  just  due  was  more  than  £1,000. 

While  in  Congress  he  took  no  active  part  on  the  floor  except  to  reply 
to  an  attack  which  was  made  against  New  England.  It  was  said  that 
he  must  have  given  himself  to  much  business  then,  and  that  he  was 
master  of  all  the  important  questions  which  had  been  debated,  being 
able  to  give  the  arguments  pro  and  con.  In  a  letter  to  a  friend  he 
says: 

I  am  treated  with  respect  by  Congress  and  the  heads  of  Departments.  The  present 
Congress  possess  great  integrity  and  a  good  share  of  abilities,  but  for  want  of 
more  States  on  the  floor  the  public  and  important  business  is  from  day  to  day  neg- 
lected. We  are,  however,  in  daily  expectation  of  a  fuller  delegation. 

His  views  on  the  inadequacy  of  the  Confederation  and  the  necessity 
of  union  were  in  accord  with  what  the  succeeding  events  showed  to 
be  the  wise  policy  of  the  Government.  When  the  question  of  the 
ratification  of  the  Constitution  was  being  discussed  by  Massachusetts 
he  attended  the  debates  and  proceedings  of  the  convention.  He  him- 
self said  that  Massachusetts  was  the  hinge  on  which  the  whole  must 
turn. 


HROWN    UNIVERSITY.  *  111 

By  this  time  lie  bad  been  relieved  of  tbe  greater  part  of  bis  pastoral 
duties  and  was  enabled  to  devote  bis  wbole  attention  to  tbe  college. 
This,  however,  did  not  prevent  him  from  assuming  occasional  pastoral 
duties  and  keeping  fully  posted  on  all  the  important  movements  of  the 
day. 

CLOSING-    YEARS    OF   MANNING. 

From  this  period  till  the  close  of  bis  life  be  was  active  in  his  zeal  for 
the  college  and  in  the  aid  which  he  could  give  his  State.  He  was  ever 
interested  in  what  pertained  to  common- school  education,  and  was  on 
the  school  committee  for  many  years,  serving  as  chairman. 

In  April,  1791,  be  preached  bis  farewell  sermon  to  bis  people,  and  at 
a  meeting  of  the  corporation  of  tbe  college  held  the  same  month  be 
requested  them  to  find  a  successor  to  him.  He  seemed  to  have  a  pre- 
sentiment that  bis  days  were  numbered.  Sunday,  July  24,  he  was 
seized  with  an  apoplectic  fit  while  conducting  family  prayers,  and 
lived  till  the  following  Fiday. 

Many  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  in  a  few  words  delineating  the  char- 
acter of  another  man,  has  sketched  his  own.  So  was  it  with  Man- 
ning. Admirably  fitting  to  his  own  character  are  the  qualities  which 
he  said  must  be  sought  for  in  the  choice  of  a  successor  to  his  charge: 
"  A  man  of  letters,  politeness,  strict  piety  and  orthodoxy,  of  popular 
talents,  possessed  of  a  good  share  of  human  prudence,  and  no  bigot; 
in  a  word,  a  truly  Christian  orator."  The  entire  community  felt  that 
a  great  man  had  fallen,  and  all  possible  respect  and  reverence  were 
paid  to  his  memory.  His  portrait  is  in  the  possession  of  the  univer- 
sity. From  an  obituary  notice  in  the  Providence  Gazette  this  ex- 
tract is  taken : 

In  his  youth  he  was  remarkable  for  his  dexterity  in  athletic  exercises,  for  the 
symmetry  of  his  body  and  gracefulness  of  his  person.  His  countenance -was  stately 
and  majestic,  full  of  dignity,  goodness,  and  gravity;  and  the  temper  of  his  mind 
was  a  counterpart  to  it.  He  was  formed  for  enterprise.  His  address  was  pleasing, 
his  manner  enchanting,  his  voice  harmonious,  and  his  eloquence  almost  irresistible. 
Having  deeply  imbibed  the  spirit  of  truth  himself  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  he 
was  faithful  in  declaring  the  whole  counsel  of  God.  He  studied  plainness  of  speech 
and  to  be  useful  more  than  to  be  celebrated.  The  good  order,  learning,  and  respec- 
tability of  the  Baptist  churches  in  the  Eastern  States  are  much  owing  to  his  assidu- 
ous attention  to  their  welfare.  The  credit  of  his  name,  and  his  personal  influence 
among  them  have  never,  perhaps,  been  exceeded  by  any  other  character. 

Of  the  college  he  must,  in  one  sense,  bo  considered  as  the  founder.  He  presided 
with  the  singular  advantage  of  a  superior  personal  appearance,  added  to  all  his 
shining  talents  for  governing  and  instructing  youth.  From  the  first  beginning  of 
his  Latin  school  at  Warren,  through  many  discouragements,  he  has  by  constant  care 
and  labor  raised  this  seat  of  learning  to  notice,  to  credit,  and  to  respectability  in 
the  United  States.  Perhaps  the  history  of  no  other  college  will  disclose  a  more 
rapid  progress  or  greater  maturity  in  the  course  of  about  twenty-live  years. 

PRESIDENT  MAXCY,  1792-1802. 

Under  tbe  administration  of  President  Maxcy  the  college  was  sus- 
tained in  all  the  departments,  and  continued  to  graduate  a  fair  num- 
ber of  students.  Undue  stress  is  too  often  laid  on  an  administration 


112        HISTORY  <OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

characterized  by  brilliancy  and  new  departures,  but  those  which  have 
merely  conserved  the  growth  of  the  institution  are  likewise  of  import- 
ance. Without  the  latter  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  succeeding 
administrations  to  have  won  their  reputation.  It  was  doubtful  if  the 
period  succeeding  the  death  of  President  Manning  called  for  an 
aggressive  policy.  The  college  did  not  resume  its  exercises  till  1782, 
the  break  between  1776  and  that  date  being  occasioned  by  the  revolu- 
tionary struggle.  The  two  buildings,  university  hall  and  the  presi- 
dent's house,  were  intact,  although  sadly  in  need  of  repair,  and  a  small 
number  of  students  were  returning.  To  hold  the  ground  and,  in  a 
sense,  to  broaden  the  new  foundations  which  had  been  again  laid  by 
Manning  when  the  college  opened  in  1782,  may  be  said  to  be  the  policy 
of  the  incoming  president.  Then,  too,  Manning  was  a  man  widely  known 
in  his  denomination  and  by  the  public.  On  his  preaching  tour  during 
the  years  of  the  suspension  of  the  college,  he  was  widening  his  repu- 
tation in  the  colonies.  He  was  a  man  of  marked  ability  and  he  did 
probably  what  no  other  man  could  haAre  done  for  the  college,  hence  the 
new  president  was  to  step  into  a  large  place.  Maxcy  was  a  young 
man,  with  his  spurs  yet  to  win  as  the  leader  of  a  college.  At  the  first 
commencement  after  his  inauguration,  during  the  illumination  of  the 
college,  a  transparency  was  placed  in  one  of  the  upper  windows  dis- 
playing his  name  with  u  President,  24  years  old."  His  policy  then  was 
to  conserve  what  had  been  gained,  and  he  seems  to  have  accomplished 
it.  This,  then,  may  account  for  the  fact  that  no  record  can  be  made 
during  his  administration  of  new  buildings  or  of  large  bequests.  It 
was  said  of  his  presidency : 

He  was  one  whose  name  and  fame  are  identified  with  its  reputation  and  whose 
mildness,  dignity,  and  goodness,  equaled  only  by  his  genius,  learning,  and  eloquence, 
subdued  all  envy,  made  all  admirers  friends,  and  gave  him  an  irresistible  sway 
over  the  minds  of  those  placed  under  his  care.  Under  his  administration  the  college 
acquired  a  reputation  for  belles-lettres  and  eloquence  inferior  to  no  seminary  of  learn- 
ing in  the  United  States.  His  pupils  saw  in  him  an  admirable  model  for  their  imi- 
tation, and  the  influence  of  his  pure  and  cultivated  taste  was  seen  in  their  literary 
performances. l 

SKETCH   OF   PRESIDENT   MAXCY. 

President  Maxcy  was  born  in  Massachusetts  September  2, 1768.  His 
father  is  mentioned  as  one  of  the  most  respectable  inhabitants  of  the 
town;  but  it  seems  to  have  been  to  his  mother  that  he  owed  those  traits 
of  piety  and  mildness  which  characterized  his  more  mature  years. 

His  mother,  says  his  biographer,  was  a  woman  of  strong  mind  and  devoted  piety, 
and  beautifully  exemplified  the  practical  influence  of  the  Christian  religion,  by  the 
uniform  consistency  which  marked  the  whole  tenor  of  her  life.  Upon  her  devolved 
the  delightful  duty  of  implanting  in  the  mind  of  her  son  those  seeds  of  truth  and 
righteousness,  which  should  in  after  years  bud  and  blossom  into  usefulness. 

In  early  years  he  gave  promise  of  talent  and  of  maturity  of  intellect. 
It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  when  a  boy  he  was  fond  of  speaking  and 

1  President  Maxcy's  Remains,  by  Romeo  Elton,  p.  15. 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  113 

some  of  his  oratorical  efforts  even  then  were  creditable.  In  view  of 
these  early  indications,  his  parents  decided  to  give  him  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, and  he  was  sent  to  the  Wrentham  Academy,  kept  by  William 
Williams,  one  of  the  first  graduates  from  the  college.  He  entered 
Brown,  or  Rhode  Island  College,  as  it  was  then  called,  in  1783,  at  the 
age  of  15.  His  conduct  in  college  was  such  as  to  win  the  esteem  of 
instructors  and  classmates.  From  the  discipline  of  college  his  mental 
powers  were  stimulated  and  invigorated.  It  is  said  his  writings  were 
recommended  as  models  to  his  classmates;  that  they  were  eminent 
for  delicacy  of  taste,  and  that  his  conceptions  were  embodied  in  lan- 
guage of  classic  purity.  He  was  graduated  with  the  highest  honors 
of  his  class.  A  position  of  tutor  becoming  vacant  in  the  college,  it 
was  offered  to  him,  and  was  accepted.  For  four  years  he  filled  this 
position  with  satisfaction  to  his  colleagues  and  to  the  students. 

In  1790  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  in  this  field  his  marked  ability 
for  oratory  was  so  pronounced  that  he  was  invited  to  take  charge  of 
the  church  from  which  President  Manning  had  resigned. 

Maxcy  was  ordained  in  1791,  and  on  the  same  day  was  elected  profes- 
sor of  divinity  by  the  corporation. 

Says  Tristam  Burgess  of  Maxcy : 

His  voice  seemed  not  to  have  reached  the  deep  tone  of  full  age ;  but  most  of  all  to 
resemble  that  of  those  whom  the  Savior  of  the  world  said,  "  Of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  The  eloquency  of  Maxcy  was  mental.  You  seemed  to  hear  the  soul  of 
the  man ;  and  each  one  of  the  largest  assembly,  in  the  most  extended  place  of  wor- 
ship, received  the  slightest  impulse  of  his  silver  voice  as  if  he  stood  at  his  very  ear. 
So  intensely  would  he  enchain  attention,  that  in  the  most  thronged  audience  you 
iieard  nothing  but  him  and  the  pulsations  of  your  own  heart.  His  utterance  was 
not  more  perfect  than  his  whole  discourse  was  instructive  and  enchanting. 

That  same  year  (1791)  President  Manning  was  seized  by  an  apoplectic 
fit  and  died  within  a  few  days.  The  most  natural  successor  was  Maxcy, 
and  at  the  following  commencement  he  was  elected  president  pro  tern- 
pore.  As  an  instructor  he  was  very  successful,  because  his  influence 
over  his  pupils  was  strengthened  by  his  experience  arid  reputation  as 
a  man  of  ability.  He  regarded  his  students  as  his  sons,  and  in  all 
his  relations  towards  them  endeavored  to  inculcate  the  principles  of 
virtue  and  piety.  He  was  thoroughly  interested  in  all  their  concerns, 
and  took  great  delight  in  bringing  to  them  the  results  of  his  own  expe- 
rience. To  those  students  who  sought  him  for  advice  he  was  particu- 
larly cordial,  and  they  felt  that  in  him  they  had  a  true  friend.  Kenned 
and  dignified  in  manner,  of  brilliant  conversational  powers,  and  pos- 
sessing the  ability  of  adapting  his  instruction  to  the  attainments  of  his 
students,  he  >vas  very  successful  as  a  teacher.  He  had  the  power  of 
grasping  a  subject  as  a  whole  and  then  presenting  it  attractively  to  the 
class.  His  discipline  was  described  as  "  reasonable,  firm,  and  uniform, 
and  marked  in  its  administration  by  kindness,  frankness,  and  dignity." 
There  was  an  absence  of  austerity  in  his  manner,  and  he  treated  his 
11*23  R  I 8 


114        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND 

pupils  as  young  gentlemen.     He  always  appealed  to  their  understand- 
ing and  conscience. 

The  few  sermons  preached  while  in  the  presidential  chair  were  such 
as  in  no  wise  to  detract  from  his  reputation  as  an  eloquent  pulpit  orator. 
Harvard  bestowed  upon  him,  when  only  33,  the  degree  of  D.  D.  In  1797 
he  was  formally  elected  president,  his  youth  undoubtedly  having 
delayed  that  honor.  During  the  ten  years  in  which  he  was  at  the  head 
of  the  college,  graduates  were  sent  into  all  the  professions,  and  acquired 
as  favorable  a  reputation  as  had  been  gained  for  any  other  decade  in 
the  history  of  the  university.  In  September,  1802,  he  sent  in  his  resig 
nation,  assuring  the  corporation  that  nothing  but  necessity  led  him 
to  take  that  step,  and  that  his  attachment  to  the  college  should  ever 
be  firm.  The  corporation  accepted  his  resignation  with  regret,  and 
expressed  their  pleasure  in  the  thought  that  he  would  not  withdraw 
from  academic  life,  lie  accepted  a  call  to  the  presidency  of  Union 
College,  Schenectady,  remaining  there  till  1804.  In  that  year  he 
accepted  the  presidency  of  South  Carolina  College.  He  died  at  Colum- 
bia, S.  C.,  June  4,  1820. 

PRESIDENT  MESSER,  1802-1826. 

This  period  in  the  history  of  the  college  immediately  preceded  that 
of  Dr.  Wayland.  The  latter,  taking  all  things  into  consideration,  was 
regarded  by  many  as  the  most  brilliant  period  of  its  history.  Messer 
was  connected  with  the  university  before  he  took  the  presidency,  and 
had  won,  through  public  services  of  a  professional  nature,  more  than  a 
local  reputation.  Dr.  Wayland,  by  his  celebrated  sermon,  awoke  to* 
find  himself  famous;  he  introduced  a  new  system  of  education,  experi- 
mentally, but  successfully,  and  he  had  more  than  a  local  reputation 
through  the  merit  of  his  text-books.  President  Messer  was  obliged  to 
conduct  the  affairs  of  the  college  chiefly  with  what  the  students  paid 
for  tuition.  It  has  been  urged  that  the  discipline  under  him  was  lax; 
but  the  personnel  of  the  college  was  different,  the  students  were  older, 
and  felt  that  they  were  preparing  for  what  would  be  their  life  work, 
hence  they  needed  little  or  no  discipline.  Under  Dr.  Wayland  the 
students  were  younger,  and  to  a  greater  extent  the  sons  of  wealthier 
parents,  for  the  year  1827  was  about  the  beginning  of  an  era  of  greater 
wealth  and  a  demand  for  more  luxury.  It  has  been  urged  that  had 
the  means  been  placed  at  the  disposal  of  President  Messer  which  Dr. 
Wayland  had,  by  way  of  externals,  the  period  would  have  been  as 
brilliant.  While  there  would  be  no  detraction  from  all  which  the  next 
administration  deserved,  yet  Messer's  should  also  receive  all  due  honor. 

PROFESSORSHIP    OF    ORATORY. 

The  first  important  event  in  this  administration  was  the  founding 
of  the  professorship  of  oratory  by  Nicholas  Brown  and  the  circum- 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  115 

stances  which  lead  to  the  change  of  name  from  Rhode  Island  College  to 
Brown  University. 

In  a  letter  written  by  John  Brown,  who  was  obliged  to  resign  the 
position  of  treasurer,  on  account  of  declining  health,  towards  the 
close,  was  added: 

Being  located  in  the  center  of  New  England,  and  with  one  of  the  most  liberal 
charters  that  Las  ever  been  granted,  to  warrant  and  secure  a  fair  and  generous 
equality  to  be  extended  to  every  religious  sect,  I  do  most  sincerely  recommend  the 
promotion  of  its  highest  interests  to  every  branch  of  the  government  of  the  col- 
lege. And  as  the  most  beautiful  and  handsome  mode  of  speaking  was  a  principal 
object,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  of  the  first  friends  of  this  college,  I  do  wish  that 
the  honorable  corporation  may  find  means  during  their  deliberations  of  this  week 
to  establish  a  professorship  of  English  oratory,  and  that  suitable  funds  for  the  pur- 
pose may  bo  so  placed  that  tho  annual  income  only  can  bo  touched  for  the  salary 
pertaining  to  such  a  professorship. 

I  am,  gentlemen,  with  great  regard,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  BROWN. 

PROVIDENCE,  Sc2)teml)cr  ft,  1803. 

CHANGE  OF  NAME  OF  THE  COLLEGE. 

Till  this  time  the.  name  of  the  college  was  as  provided  by  the  char- 
ter. The  charter  also  contained  the  'provision  that  the  trustees  and 
fellows  at  any  time  thereafter  might  give  such  more  particular  name  to 
thecollege,  in  honor  of  the  greatest  and  most  distinguished  benefactor, 
or  otherwise,  as  they  should  think  proper. 

In  1803  it  was  voted  that  the  donation  of  $5,000,  if  made  to  this  col- 
lege within  one  year  from  the  late  commencement,  shall  entitle  the 
donor  to  name  the  college.  • 

The  feelings  of  John  Brown  to  the  college  were  shown  by  the  above 
letter,  as  well  as  by  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  official  duties.  That 
the  same  feelings  were  cherished  by  the  son  will  be  shown  by  this  letter 
to  the  corporation. 

PROVIDENCE,  September  G,  1S04. 

GENTLEMEN  :  It  is  not  unknown  to  you  that  I  have  long  had  an  attachment  to  this 
institution,  as  tho  place  where  my  deceased  brother,  Moses,  and  myself  received 
our  education.  This  attachment  derives  additional  strength  from  tho  recollection 
that  my  late  honored  father  was  among  the  earliest  and  most  zealous  patrons  of  the 
college,  and  is  confirmed  by  my  regard  for  the  cause  of  literature  in  general.  Under 
these  impressions  I  hereby  make  a  donation  of  $5,000  to  Rhode  Island  College, 
to  remain  in  perpetuity  as  a  fund  for  the  establishment  of  a  professorship  of  ora- 
tary  and  belles-lettres;  Tho  money  will  be  paid  next  commencement,  and  is  to  bo 
vested  in  such  funds  as  the  corporation  shall  direct  for  its  augmentation  to  a  suffi- 
ciency, in  your  judgment,  to  produce  a  competent  annual  salary  for  tho  within- 
mentioned  professorship. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  gentlemen,  with  my  best  wishes  for  the  prosperity  of  tho 
college,  your  obedient  friend, 

NICHOLAS  BROWN. 

This  fund  accumulated  from  year  to  year  till  it  more  than  doubled. 
In  182G  bank  stock  to  the  amount  of  $10,000  was  purchased  by  the 
treasurer  and  constituted  the  special  fund  for  this  professorship. 


116        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

Iii  accordance  with  the  gift  for  the  foundation  of  this  professorship 
by  Nicholas  Brown,  September  6,  1804,  it  was  voted  that  this  college 
be  called  and  known  in  all  future  time  by  the  name  of  Brown  Univer- 
sity in  Providence,  in  the  State  of  Ehode  Island  and  Providence  Plan- 
tations. 

UNIVERSITY    GRAMMAR    SCHOOL. 

At  this  period  this  school  was  under  the  management  of  the  college. 
In  1809  it  was  decided  that  a  building  for  the  school  be  erected  on  the 
college  lands.  A  committee  of  three  was  chosen  to  procure  subscrip- 
tions, and  the  sum  of  $1,452.86  was  raised.  The  building  was  erected 
in  1810,  and  stands  opposite  the  president's  house.  This  school  is 
described  under  the  above  title  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  academies. 

HOPE    COLLEGE. 

The  first  mention  of  this  building  occurs  under  the  date  of  Septem- 
ber 0,  1821.  The  record  concerned  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to 
consider  the  propriety  of  erecting  another  edifice.  At  an  adjourned 
meeting  held  October  10,  the  committee  was  authorized  to  purchase  a 
site  and  erect  a  suitable  building. 

The  most  interesting  item  is  the  report  of  the  committee  January  13, 
1823: 

The  committee  .appointed  in  September,  1821,  to  procure  a  suitable  piece  of  land 
and  erect  thereon  a  college  edifice,  beg  leave  to  refer  to  the  treasurer's  report  for 
the  3rd  of  September,  1822,  for  particulars  of  the  lot  purchased  of  Mr.  Nathan 
Waterman.  On  this  lot  an  elegant  brick  building  of  the  following  dimensions  has 
been  erected  by  Nicholas  Brown,  esq.,  the  distinguished  patron  of  the  university : 
In  length  120  feet,  width  40  feet,  4  stories  high,  and  containing  48  rooms.  The 
object,  therefore,  is  accomplished,  and  no  part  of  the  funds  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  the  committee  by  the  corporation  has  been  used  toward  said  building.  Mr. 
Brown,  it  is  understood,  will  make  a  communication  on  the  subject  of  the  new  col- 
lege edifice  at  the  meeting  to  bo  holden  by  adjournment  in  the  university  chapel 
on  Monday,  the  13th  of  January  instant,  to  which  communication  the  committee 
invite  the  attention  of  the  corporation. 

Respectfully  submitted  by  the  committee. 

In  the  communication  referred  to,  Mr.  Brown  said : 

To  Ihe  Corporation  of  Brown   University  : 

It  affords  me  great  pleasure  at  this  adjourned  meeting  of  the  corporation  to  state 
that  the  college  edifice  erected  last  season  and  located  on  the  land  purchased  by  the 
corporation  of  Mr.  Nathan  Waterman  is  completed. 

Being  warmly  attached  to  the  institution  where  I  received  my  education,  among 
whose  founders  and  benefactors  was  my  honored  father,  deceased,  and  believing 
that  the  dissemination  of  letters  and  knowledge  is  the  great  means  of  social  happi- 
ness, I  have  caused  this  edifice  to  be  erected  wholly  at  my  expense,  and  now  present 
it  to  the  corporation  of  Brown  University,  to  be  held  with  the  other  corporate  prop- 
erty, according  to  their  charter. 

As  it  may  be  proper  to  give  a  name  to  the  new  edifice,  I  take  leave  to  suggest  to 
the  corporation  that  of  "  Hope  College. " 

I  avail  myself  of  this  occasion  to  hope  that  heaven  will  bless  and  make  it  useful 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  117 

in  the  promotion  of  virtue,  science,  and  literature,  to  those  of  the  present  and  of 
future  generations  who  may  resort  to  this  university  for  education.     With  respect- 
ful and  affectionate  regards  to  the  individual  members  of  the  corporation, 
I  am  their  friend, 

NICHOLAS  BROWN. 

This  building  is  the  fourth  that  has  been  built  for  the  college  and  has 
been  used  as  a  dormitory.  The  records  make  no  mention  of  its  cost, 
but  from  various  sources  the  expense  was  estimated  at  about  $20,000. 

Among  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the  corporation  in  accepting  the 
gift  of  Hope  College  Avere  two,  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  corporation  entertain  a  very  high  sense  of  the 
liberality  of  this  patron  of  science,  in  the  gift  of  this  new  building,  in  addition  to  his 
former  large  donations  to  this  university. 

Resolved,  That  in  compliance  with  the  suggestion  of  the  donor,  the  new  edifice  be 
denominated  Hope  College. 

At  the  same  meeting  it  was  also  voted  that  the  old  college  edifice  be 
named  University  Hall. 

SKETCH  OF  PRESIDENT  MESSER. 

Eev.  Asa  Messer  was  born  in  Methuen,  Mass.,  in  1769.  He,  too,  was 
graduated  from  Ehode  Island  College  in  the  class  of  1790.  He  was 
chosen  as  tutor  the  next  year,  and  held  that  position  till  1796,  when  he 
was  electe-1  professor  of  the  learned  languages.  He  also  held  the  pro- 
fessorship of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy  in  1799  and  retained 
it  till  1802.  When  the  presidency  became  vacant  by  the  resignation  of 
President  Maxcy  in  1802,  he  was  made  president  pro  tempore.  He 
became  president  in  1804  and  retained  this  position  till  his  resignation 
in  1826.  Such  is  the  outline  of  his  work  at  his  alma  mater.  To  the 
duties  of  the  manager  of  the  college  lie  brought  an  experience  as  pupil, 
tutor,  and  professor,  so  that  he  was  conversant  with  its  needs  and 
shaped  his  policy  accordingly. 

In  a  critique  of  his  administration  allowance  must  be  made  for  the 
conditions  then  obtaining.  In  the  last  few  decades  the  march  of  prog- 
ress has  been  very  rapid,  and  because  of  this  rapidity  improvements 
had  undue  importance.  They  must  not  be  so  magnified  as  to  mar  the 
historical  perspective.  As  has  been  said,  he  knew  the  needs  and 
capabilities  of  the  college. 

In  the  first  place,  there  could  be  said  to  exist  no  system  of  public 
schools.  The  law  which  had  been  passed  establishing  free  schools  in 
the  State  was  inoperative,  except  in  Providence.  The  acquirement  of 
an  education  was  expensive.  Those  who  were  wealthy  preferred  to 
send  their  sons  to  Harvard  or  Yale,  the  older,  hence  better  endowed 
and  equipped  colleges.  In  the  second  place,  the  country  was  just 
entering  upon  the  period  which  culminated  in  our  second  war  with 
England.  In  Khode  Island  this  war  Avas  especially  disastrous  because 
disordering  her  commerce,  which  was  then  one  of  the  chief  sources 
of  prosperity  in  the  State.  The  demand  of  the  day  was  for  more  ele- 


118        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

mentary  education.  The  country  had  not  begun  to  realize  the  great 
possibilities  in  manufacture,  in  the  applied  arts,  and  in  the  sciences. 
The  need  was  imperative  for  men  fitted  for  the  professions,  hence  the 
students  who  entered  college  desired  a  training  in  what  was  then  the 
life*  work  of  the  great  body  of  professional  men.  At  this  period  in  the 
community  there  was  not  that  wealth  which  endowed  so  liberally  in  a 
few  years  the  institutions  of  learning.  Then  the  tide  of  prosperity  set 
in,  because  of  the  increased  activity  in  manufactures  and  the  applica- 
tion of  the  sciences.  In  view  of  these  facts,  the  policy  of  the  college 
had  to  be  one  of  economy  if  it  was  to  attract  students.  Those  who 
resorted  here  were  not  able  to  afford  an  expensive  education  and,  in 
fact,  it  was  by  self- sacrifice,  not  only  on  their  TOWH  part,  but  by  the 
members  of  their  home  circle  that  students  could  come  at  all.  What 
then  might  have  been  the  wishes  of  President  Messer  to  place  the 
university  on  a  higher  plane,  with  the  means  at  his  disposal,  he  could 
not  accomplish. 

How,  then,  did  he  manage  during  the  twenty-four  years  of  his  presi- 
dency ? 

HIS    POLICY. 

Says  Prof.  Goddard,  in  a  biographical  sketch  of  Messer,  in  1839: 

During  his  administration  the  college  continued  to  flourish.  An  increased  num- 
ber of  pupils  resorted  thither,  and  at  no  antecedent  or  subsequent  period  of  its  his- 
tory have  the  classes  ever  been  so  large. 

Says  a  member  of  the  class  of  1823,  regarding  the  characteristics  of 
the  students  during  Messer's  administration : 

The  last  half  century  will  show  them  to  you  in  every  part  of  the  land.  In  the 
churches,  colleges,  the  schools,  the  halls  of  legislation,  the  courts  of  justice,  in  the 
practice  of  tho  healing  art,  and  in  all  the  departments  of  social  industry,  where 
science  and  skill  are  to  bo  put  in  requisition,  they  have  done,  and  are  still  doing,  a 
noble  work.  All  through  our  newly  settled  States  and  Territories  they  have  been 
seen  marching  in  the  van  of  civilization,  holding  up  the  torch  of  science  and  religion, 
and  doing  their  full  share  in  supplying  and  working  the  intellectual,  moral,  and 
Christian  forces,  which  alone  can  give  health,  strength,  progress,  and  stability  to  the 
nation.  Such  results  are  a  proud  testimony  to  the  wisdom  and  ability  of  Asa  Mes- 
ser as  a  college  president  and  an  educator  of  young  men. 

As  a  man  he  was  popular;  in  his  family  relations  he  was  charming ] 
and  he  was  held  in  esteem  by  his  fellow-townsmen,  for  they  elected  him 
to  offices  of  public  trust. 

For  young  men  struggling  to  obtain  a  college  education,  and  working  in  the  chains 
of  the  res  angusta  domi,  Dr.  Messer  had  a  heart  of  fatherly  tenderness.  Whenever 
ho  saw  eager  aspirations  after  knowledge,  a  high  sense  of  duty  and  a  resolute  deter- 
mination to  prepare  for  an  honorable  and  useful  discharge  of  the  responsibilities  of 
life,  there  he  was  ever  ready  with  the  words  of  encouragement  and  the  hand  of  help. 

One  more  quotation  from  the  same  source  will  show  how  the  college 
was  regarded  by  those  who  were  seeking  an  education: 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  young  men  trained  up  under  Dr.  Messer  were  dis- 
tinguished for  habits  of  manly  thought  and  self-reliant  investigation,  tempered  with 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  119 

conservative  good  sense ;  and  there  can  be  as  little  doubt  that  for  these  high  qualities 
they  were  greatly  indebted  to  the  liberal  sentiments  and  the  wide-reaching,  inde- 
pendent, and  yet  well-balanced  mind  of  the  president.  ' 

REMINISCENCES    OF   PRESIDENT   MESSER. 

Said  Dr.  Sears,  in  a  receut  centennial  discourse: 

Of  my  old  president  I  can  not  speak  but  with  respect  and  affection.  He  had  a 
vigorous  and  manly  style  of  thought,  and  was  a  genial,  pleasant  teacher.  In  disci- 
pline, in  his  best  days,  he  was  adroit,  having  a  keen  insight  into  human  nature,  and 
touching  at  will,  skillfully,  all  the  chords  of  the  student's  heart.  Rarely  was  he 
mistaken  in  the  character  of  a  young  man,  or  in  the  motive  to  which  ho  appealed,  in 
order  to  influence  him. 

Foibles  and  weaknesses  he  treated  with  some  degree  of  indulgence;  but  vice  and 
willful  wrong  ho  treated  with  unsparing  severity. 

In  government  ho  followed  110  abstract  principles,  which  so  often  mislead  the 
theorist,  but  depended  011  his  good  sense  in  each  case,  giving  considerable  scope  to 
views  of  expediency.  The  student  who  attempted  to  circumvent  him  was  sure  to 
be  outwitted  in  the  end.  On  account  of  his  great  shrewdness,  he  was  sometimes 
called  "the  cunning  president."  One  of  the  many  anecdotes  related  of  him  is,  that 
he  kept  in  his  room  a  bottle  of  picra  for  sick  students,  and  that  everyone  who  came 
to  him  to  be  excused  from  duty  on  account  of  headaches,  found  it  necessary  to  swal- 
low a  dose  before  leaving  him.  His  individuality,  both  in  body  and  mind, 
was  strongly  marked.  He  was  altogether  impoetical  in  his  nature.  His  language 
had  no  coloring  of  the  fancy,  but  was  naked,  plain,  and  strong.  His  economy,  which 
was  proverbial,  extended  oven  to  his  words.  His  tendencies  were  rather  to  science 
than  literature,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  as  is  often  the  case,  more  to  prac- 
tical wisdom  and  prudence  than  to  cither.  *  * 

His  was  not  a  mind  to  leave  its  own  impress  on  that  of  his  pupils.  He  had  no 
imitators;  ho  wished  to  have  none.  The  many  eminent  men  educated  under  him 
had  no  other  resemblance  to  each  other  than  freedom  from  authority.  There  is 
among  them  110  uniform  stylo  of  thought,  resulting  from  its  being  run  in  the  same 
mold.  Even  among  the  undergraduates,  there  was  a  personal  independence  of 
character  and  thought,  and  a  manliness  of  deportment  and  self-respect,  that  gave  a 
certain  air  of  dignity  to  the  two  upper  classes.  Each  man  was  expected  to  develop 
and  retain  his  own  individuality,  without  being  schooled  down  to  tameness,  either 
by  the  faculty  or  by  the  collective  will  of  his  fellow-students.  If  he  did  right  it 
was  his  own  act;  if  he  did  wrong,  he  would  scorn  to  say  that  it  was  because  ho  did 
not  dare  to  do  right. 

The  following  will  show  the  esteem  in  which  Dr.  Messer  was  held  by 
his  co-laborers  in  his  academic  staff : 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  faculty  of  Brown  University,  held  October  14,  1836, 
in  the  chapel  of  University  Hall,  President  Wayland  announced  the  departure  from 
this  life  of  Rev.  Asa  Messer,  late  president  of  said  university,  whereupon  the  fol- 
lowing preamble  and  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted: 

Whereas  the  Rev.  Asa  Messer,  D.  D.  and  LL.  D.,  was  for  nearly  forty  years  an 
instructor  in  this  institution,  and  for  twenty-four  years  its  presiding  officer,  an 
expression  of  the  sentiments  of  the  existing  faculty,  upon  the  occasion  of  his  unex- 
pected and  lamented  death,  is  demanded  by  the  respect  which  they  individually  and 
collectively  entertain  for  the  character  of  the  deceased:  Therefore, 

Resolved,  That  the  faculty  of  Brown  University  learn  with  deep  regret  that  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Messer,  an  eminent  sou  of  this  university,  and  for  a  long  course  of  years 

1  Dr.  Silas  A.  Crane,  class  of  1823.  Brown  University  Under  the  Presidency  of 
Asa  Messer. 


120       HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

its  presiding  officer,  is  no  more;  that  we  are  impressed  with  a  strong  conviction  of 
his  acknowledged  merits  as  an  instructor,  of  his  vigorous  intellect,  and  of  his  solid 
learning,  and  that  we  gratefully  recognize  his  title  to  the  best  distinctions  of  the 
citizen,  the  man,  and  the  Christian. 

Dr.  Messer  received  the  degree  of  D.  13.  from  his  alma  mater  in 
1806,  and  the  same  honor  from  Harvard  in  1820.  His  administration 
conld  not  be  characterized  as  brilliant,  yet  it  formed  an  important  part 
in  the  history  of  Brown  University. 

PRESIDENT  WAYLAND,  1826-1855. 

Dr.  Way  land  was  one  of  the  presidents  who  was  known  not  only  at 
home  but  abroad,  on  account,  of  his  prominence  as  an  educator.  He 
was  the  son  of  godly  parents,  his  father  giving  up  a  lucrative  business 
to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  the  ministry.  His  mother  was  a  woman 
of  piety  and  deep  religious  sentiments.  Francis  Wayland  was  born  in 
New  York,  March  11, 1796.  He  early  went  to  school,  but  his  days  there 
he  considered  as  deprived  of  much  that  might  have  been  for  his  mental 
improvement,  for  according  to  the  ideas  of  education  then,  the  lessons 
were  but  memory  exercises. 

The  family  moved  to  Albany,  and  at  the  age  of  15  Wayland  entered 
Union  College.  He  describes  his  career  at  college  as  characterized  by 
too  much  reading  and  too  little  study.  Shortly  after,  he  was  called  to  a 
tutorship  there.  Graduating  in  July,  1813,  he  spent  two  years  in  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Eli  Burritt,  of  Troy,  after  spending  about 
six  months  with  Dr.  Hale,  of  the  same  place. 

These  years  were  most  valuable,  for  Dr.  Burritt,  a  genial  and  an  able 
physician,  delighted  to  unfold  the  treasures  of  his  own  mind  to  his 
enthusiastic  pupil.  Many  rich  experiences  in  his  professional  work 
and  in  a  knowledge  of  men  and  things  were  acquired  by  the  student. 
In  1816,  in  obedience  to  what  he  considered  his  duty,  he  ceased  to 
devote  himself  to  medicine  and  went  to  Andover,  because  the  Baptists 
then  had  no  theological  seminary  of  their  own.  Moses  Stuart  held 
the  chair  of  literature.  With  broad  views  and  a  most  devout  schol- 
arship, Stuart  opened  up  to  Wayland  and  his  fellows  the  stores  of 
German  philology  and  criticism.  "Here  at  Andover,"  said  Wayland, 
"  I  learned  how  to  study  and  how  to  teach  the  Bible." 

On  leaving  Andover  a  tutorship  at  Union  was  offered  to  him.  Here 
he  came  to  know  Dr.  Nott,  its  president,  a  man  for  whom  his  love  and 
admiration  deepened  as  the  years  went  by.  It  was  some  time  since 
Wayland  had  paid  attention  to  the  branches  he  was  to  teach;  hence  he 
devoted  himself  anew  to  their  mastery.  Although  their  teacher,  he 
taught  the  students  nothing  by  rote,  but  from  his  devotion  to  his 
studies  brought  new  life  to  the  class  and  thus  inspired  them  with  a 
love  for  the  work. 

The  First  Baptist  church  in  Boston  was  without  a  pastor.  Dr.  Still- 
man  had  filled  that  position.  Of  him  it  was  said :  "  He  was  probably 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  121 

the  most  popular  pulpit  orator  of  the  day.  He  was  a  universal  favor- 
ite." A  friend  of  Wayland's  suggested  to  the  deacons  of  this  church 
that  they  call  him.  It  was  done,  and  in  1821  he  entered  upon  the 
pastorate  which  he  retained  till  1827.  His  pastorate  was  a  trying  one 
for  him.  He  knew  the  call  was  not  unanimous;  he  was  conscious  of 
his  own  deficiencies,  unfitting  him  for  anything  like  pulpit  oratory;  and 
he  had  a  large  place  to  fill  in  taking  the  position  held  by  Dr.  Stillman. 
The  rich  experience  that  his  medical  training  had  given  him,  and  the 
broad  knowledge  that  he  had  acquired  as  tutor,  enabled  him  to  preach 
powerful  sermons.  One  bit  of  advice  given  to  him  he  followed  in  his 
preaching,  and  it  may  have  been  the  clue  to  the  power  he  had  with  his 
audience.  Said  Dr.  Welch  to  him:  u  Tell  the  people  just  what  they  tell 
you,  and  you  will  find  that  nothing  will  interest  them  so  much." 

Among  the  causes  of  his  notoriety  was  a  sermon  preached  before  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Boston  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society,  Octo- 
ber 26,  1823.  The  text  was,  "  The  field  is  the  world,"  and  the  subject, 
aThe  moral  dignity  of  the  missionary  enterprise."  Such  were  the  unfa- 
vorable circumstances,  as  he  thought,  of  the  preaching  of  this  sermon 
that  he  said  to  a  friend :  "  It  was  a  complete  failure.  It  fell  perfectly 
dead."  The  sermon  was  requested  for  publication  and  various  editions 
were  quickly  exhausted.  Says  his  biographer : 

In  proportion  to  the  population  and  tho  numbers  then  found  in  America,  it  is 
doubtful  if  its  circulation  has  been  exceeded  by  any  American  sermon,  and  certainly 
no  other  has  held  its  place  so  permanently. 

Dr.  Wayland's  ministry  was  successful;  he  was  prominent  in  his  own 
denomination,  and  from  the  distinguished  merit  of  the  sermon  referred 
to,  he  had  become  prominent  in  the  world  of  letters.  On  the  resigna- 
tion of  Dr.  Messer  from  the  presidency  of  Brown  in  September,  1826, 
all  eyes  were  turned  to  Wayland,  and  he  was  unanimously  elected  to 
the  presidency,  in  December,  1826. 

CHARACTERISTICS. 

What,  then,  were  the  elements  of  success  which  he  brought  to  the 
presidency  ?  In  the  first  place  he  loved  the  work.  It  was  hard  and 
exacting,  how  severe  none  knew  but  himself.  His  sense  of  duty  and 
responsibility  were  deep  and  minute.  "  He  recognized  in  every  young 
man  who  entered  the  university  a  new  trust  imposed  upon  him,  and 
held  himself  personally  accountable  to  the  student,  to  his  parents,  and 
to  his  God  for  the  faithful  fulfillment  of  so  serious  an  obligation."  In 
the  second  place  his  keen  habits  of  thought  and  analysis  enabled  him 
quickly  to  comprehend  and  relegate  to  its  proper  generality  each  spe- 
cial case.  He  always  sought  to  find  the  underlying  general  principle. 
His  experience  when  studying  medicine  had  given  him  an  insight  into 
scientific  pursuits,  and  the  opportunities  for  observation  were  varied, 
especially  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Burritt.  In  writing  to  a  young 
man  in  after  life  Dr.  Waylaud  said,  "  Neglect  no  opportunity  of  gaining 


122        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

useful  information  while  visiting .     He  is  a  great  teacher  in  the  art 

of  fishing,  managing  a  boat,  etc."  On  another  occasion,  "  Observe  care- 
fully the  modes  of  thinking,  and  especially  the  points  that  are  taken 
for  granted.  The  things  men  take  for  granted  without  affirming  are 
frequently  of  much  greater  importance  than  all  that  they  affirm." 

The  life-long  motto  of  the  president  was,  "  Whatever  is  worth  doing 
at  all  is  worth  doing  well,"  and  he  was  also  in  the  habit  of  saying  to 
his  friends,  "  Nothing  can  stand  before  days'  works."  Perhaps  no  para- 
graph could  better  state  his  character  than  the  advice  he  gave  to  a 
young  friend: 

Let  nie  urge  upon  you,  if  you  wish  to  be  respected,  to  bo  thoroughly  master  of 
your  studies.  I  would  sit  up  till  midnight  rather  than  not  know  them.  Never 
think  "This  will  do,"  unless  it  bo  done  as  well  as  you  can  possibly  do  it.  You  will 
thus  acquire  the  habit  of  using  your  faculties  to  the  best  advantage,  and  you  will 
double  your  intellectual  powers  in  a  single  year.  The  true  way  to  increase  our 
talents  is  to  employ  them  to  the  utmost. 

The  following  sketch  of  his  manner  and  power  in  addressing  the 
students  is  stated  by  Prof.  Chace  in  his  commemorative  discourse: 

As  the  students  then,  with  few  exceptions,  lived  within  the  college  buildings  and 
took  their  meals  in  Commons  Hall,  they  constituted  much  more  than  at  present,  n, 
community  by  themselves.  They  were  more  readily  swayed  by  common  impulses, 
and  more  susceptible  of  common  emotions.  When  gathered  in  chapel  they  formed 
;  unique  but  remarkably  homogeneous  audience.  President  Waylaud  was  at  that 
time  at  the  very  culmination  of  his  powers,  both  physical  and  intellectual.  His 
massive  and  stalwart  frame,  not  yet  filled  and  rounded  by  the  accretions  of  later 
years,  his  strongly  marked  features,  having  still  the  sharp  outlines  and  severe  grace 

<  f  their  first  chiseling,  his  peerless  eye,  sending  forth  from  beneath  that  olympian 
brow  its  lordly  or  its  penetrating  glances,  ho  seemed,  as  he  stood  on  the  stage  in 
that  old  chapel,  the  incarnation  of  majesty  and  power.     Ho  was  raised  but  a  few 
feet  above  his  audience,  and  so  near  to  them  that  those  most  remote  could  sec  the 
play  of  every  feature.     He  commenced  speaking.     It  was  not  instruction;  it  was 
not  argument;  it  was  not   exhortation.     It  was  a  mixture  of  wit  and  humor,  of 
ridicule,  sarcasm,  pathos,  and  fun;  of  passionate  remonstrance,  earnest  appeal  and 
solemn  warning,  poured  forth  not  at  random,  but  with  a  knowledge  of  the  laws  of 
emotion  to  which  Lord  Kames  himself  could  have  added  nothing.     The  effect  was 
indescribable.     No  Athenian  audience  ever  Imng  more  tumultuously  on  the  lips  of 
the  divine  Demosthenes.     That  little  chapel  heaved  and  swelled  with  the  intensity 

<  f  the  pent-up  forces.     The  billows  of  passion  rose  and   fell  like  the  waves  of  a 
tempestuous  sea.     At  one  moment  all  were  burning  with  indignation  ;  the  next  they 
were  melted  to  tears.     Now  every  one  was  convulsed  with  laughter,  and  now  as 
solemn  as  if  the  revelations  of  doom  were  just  opening  upon  them.     Emotions  the 
most  diverse  followed  one  another  in  quick  succession.     Admiration,  resentment, 
awe,  and  worship  in  turn  swelled  every  bosom.     At  length  the  storm  spent  itself. 
The  ground  had  been  softened  and  fertilized,  and  the.  whole  air  purified. 

DR.  WAYLAND    IN    THE    CLASS    ROOM. 

The  personality  of  a  teacher  is  a  strong  characteristic  in  determining 
his  success.  Dr.  Wayland  in  the  class  room  was  a  manifestation  of 
power.  This  description  is  by  one  of  his  pupils : 

Dr.  Wayland's  recitation  room  was  the  goal  toward  which  every  student  turned 
his  eye.  As  the  distance  lessened  his  eagerness  increased.  When  he  had  at  last 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  123 

passed  through  the  preliminary  years  liis  joy  was  full,  because  he  would  now  be 
under  the  "old  doctor."  This  silent  influence,  this  unconscious  tuition,  was  of 
unspeakable  value.  Although  not  directly  unfolding  any  science  or  evolving  any 
principle  it  imparted  inspiration.  The  president  threw  over  his  pupils  the  spell  of 
his  own  genius,  and  many  of  them  still  feel  the  enchantment,  although  the  mighty 
spirit  which  imparted  it  has  been  withdrawn. 

At  the  time  to  which  I  refer  his  recitation  room  was  on  the  first  floor  of  the  middle 
hall  of  Hope  College  and  in  the  rear  of  his  own  study.  It  had  been  a  dormitory,  but 
afterwards  furnished  with  benches,  and  what  served  for  writing  desks,  narrow  pine 
boards  upheld  by  pine  uprights.  Wo  were  obliged  to  use  these  with  great  care  lest 
we  should  be  left  without  any  support  for  our  papers  and  arms  during  the  severe 
trials  of  skill  in  handling  our  pencils.  The  entire  furniture  of  the  room  did  not 
exceed  $10  in  value. 

Entering  by  a  door  connecting  the  recitation  room  with  his  study  he  was  in  his  chair 
at  the  moment,  and  he  required  the  same  promptness  of  each  pupil.  A  second  or 
third  instance  of  tardiness  was  a  dangerous  experiment.  The  form  of  penalty  could 
never  be  anticipated.  Sometimes  it  was  a  look  not  likely  to  bo  soon  forgotten; 
sometimes  there  was  a  painful  pause;  if  the  recitation  had  commenced  sometimes 
the  delinquent  was  formally  introduced  to  the  class. 

All  being  present,  and  subsiding  instantly  into  silence,  the  work  began.  He  had 
no  table,  but  sat  with  his  manuscript  for  the  lecture  of  the  hour  resting  upon  his 
knee.  At  this  period  none  of  his  text-books  had  been  published.  The  members  of  the 
class  in  succession  recited  the  lecture  of  the  preceding  clay,  or  perhaps  one  still  far- 
ther back  in  the  series.  The  recitation  proceeded  in  this  quiet  manner  until  the 
lecture  or  lectures  had  been  recalled  to  the  minds  of  the  pupils.  Occasionally  a 
question  was  asked  by  teacher  or  student  until  everything  obscure  or  ambiguous 
had  been  not  only  cleared  up,  but  made  as  definite  as  language  could  render  it.  At 
the  same  time  no  irrelevant  discussion  was  permitted,  no  argument  for  the  sake  of 
argument  was  encouraged.  The  class  and  instructor  were  there  for  a  definite  pur- 
pose, and  that  purpose  could  not  bo  thwarted  by  any  art  or  subtlety,  meanwhile,  as 
all  his  pupils  will  readily  remember,  a  silver  pencil  case  passed  from  end  to  end 
between  his  thumb  and  finger.  The  compressed  lips  were  moved  slightly,  but  nerv- 
ously. The  small  dark  eye,  through  which,  even  in  repose,  his  whole  nature  spoke, 
was  resting  steadily,  but  kindly,  upon  each  student  as  he  rose  and  recited. 

This  exercise  concluded,  there  was  a  rustling  all  around  the  room;  papers  were 
adjusted  and  preparation  made  for  writing.  The  president's  manuscript  was  opened 
and  the  well  known  a-hem  was  the  signal  for  all  to  be  ready  and  for  the  work  of  the 
hour  to  begin.  He  read  slowly  and  the  class  copied,  each  member  following  his 
own  method,  some  using  shorthand,  others  abbreviating  words,  or  omitting  some 
altogether.  All  were  intent  to  catch  the  thought,  at  any  rate,  and  the  exact  phra- 
seology, if  possible.  The  lecture  was  written  out  in  full  by  the»students  at  their 
rooms.  What  one  failed  to  catch  he  gathered  from  another  and  thus  by  "compar- 
ing notes"  a  correct  copy  was  secured. 

These  lectures  seemed  to  us  more  wonderful  than  anything  we  had  ever  heard. 
They  carried  all  the  conviction  of  a  demonstration.  To  have  believed  otherwise 
would  have  seemed  absurd.  Some  of  us  at  a  later  day  found  reason  to  modify  the 
views  there  received  and  accepted.  But  at  the  time  the  conviction  was  complete. 

His  definitions  were  clear,  simple,  and  easily  remembered.  His  analysis  of  any 
obscure  but  important  part  was  exhaustive,  omitting  no  essential  element.  His  prog- 
ress through  either  of  his  favorite  sciences  was  that  of  a  prince  through  his  own 
dominions. 

At  intervals,  not  regular  in  their  recurrence,  yet  sure  to  occur  somewhere,  ho 
suspended  his  reading  for  a.  few  minutes  and,  waiting  for  a  short  time  until  each 
member  of  the  class  could  complete  his  notes  and  give  his  attention,  he  would  relate 
some  incident  or  anecdote  strikingly  illustrating  the  point  last  made.  In  this  depart- 


124       HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION   IN   RHODE    ISLAND. 

ment  he  was  always  most  happy.  The  confirmation  imparted  to  the  argument  was 
often  unexpected  and  even  irresistible.  These  anecdotes  were  drawn  from  any  source 
that  offered  the  richest  supply;  from  history,  from  romance,  from  poetry,  from  com- 
mon unrecorded  every-day  life.  Often  they  were  mirthful,  sometimes  ludicrous. 
Frequently  statistics  would  be  given,  conclusively  verifying  the  position  which  had 
been  assumed.  Illustrations,  anecdotes,  and  statistics  came  at  his  bidding  and 
always  did  capital  service.  They  were  "  as  arrows  in  the  hands  of  the  mighty." 

Hands  and  arms  having  been  rested,  the  reading  was  resumed  and  the  lecture 
advanced  to  the  stroke  of  the  bell.  It  was  concluded  as  promptly  as  it  commenced, 
closing  abruptly,  even  in  the  middle  of  an  argument  or  a  paragraph.  Those  were 
short  hours.  We  wondered  whither  the  sixty  minutes  had  flown  and  how  it  was 
that  AVO  had  taken  no  note  of  their  flight.  Half  in  doubt  of  the  correctness  of  the 
bell,  we  left  the  recitation  room. 

Whether  in  these  exercises  Dr.  Wayland  stirred  up  the  intellect  of  his  pupils,  it 
was  not  difficult  even  for  a  stranger  to  determine.  As  they  issued  from  the  lecture 
room,  and  went  by  twos  and  threes  to  their  own  apartments,  the  subjects  which  had 
just  been  discussed  became  the  theme  of  most  earnest  conversation.  Nor  did  the 
momentum  thus  acquired  expend  itself  during  the  next  twenty-four  hours.  The 
mental  machinery  was  still  in  motion,  when,  on  the  following  day,  the  class  was 
again  summoned  to  that  unpretending  room. 

DISCIPLINE. 

'Not  only  must  the  president  of  a  college  be  a  teacher,  but  he  must 
be  an  administrator.  As  he  provides  for  the  discipline  of  a  college, 
will  depend  the  success  or  failure  of  his  administration.  The  methods 
which  Dr.  Wayland  followed  are  best  told  in  his  own  words. 

With  respect  to  the  discipline  of  a  college,  it  is,  perhaps,  proper  that  I  should 
give  my  experience.  I  may  say  that  my  views  on  this  subject  are  very  simple.  So 
far  as  I  know,  it  has  been  generally  supposed  that  the  head  of  a  college  can  only 
succeed  by  understanding  the  peculiar  temperament,  habits,  disposition,  etc.,  of 
every  pupil,  and,  on  the  basis  of  this  knowledge,  making  out  a  distinct  mode  of 
treatment  for  each  undergraduate.  In  strict  accordance  with  this  theory,  parents 
without  number,  when  entering  their  sons  in  college,  have  come  to  me,  and  at  great 
length  have  informed  me  of  the  peculiarities  of  their  children,  stating  that  their 
dispositions  were  excellent  if  they  were  only  governed  in  some  particular  manner. 
I  always  listened  with  due  attention  to  such  statements,  but  paid  to  them  no  regard 
whatever.  Indeed,  I  very  soon  learned  that  these  peculiar  young  men  were  in  fact, 
in  almost  every  case,  spoiled  children,  with  whom  I  was  likely  to  have  more  thau 
the  usual  amount  of  trouble. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  such  a  view  of  the  proper  method  of  governing  a  public  insti- 
tution for  instruction  would  greatly  impair,  if  it  did  not  entirely  destroy,  the  value 
of  any  college  in  which  it  should  prevail.  If  it  were  the  business  of  instructors  to 
study  the  character  of  every  pupil,  and  in  each  instance  to  modify  the  course  of  dis- 
cipline to  suit  the  peculiarities  of  every  individual,  sound  judgment  would,  from 
the  very  nature  of  the  case,  be  impossible.  A  college  would  then  fail  in  one  of  Us 
most  important  designs,  namely,  as  an  intermediate  place  between  the  family  and 
society,  to  prepare  the  student  for  entrance  upon  the  practical  duties  of  life.  I 
came,  therefore,  to  the  conclusion  that  the  laws  of  a  college  should  be  simple,  just, 
kind,  and  of  such  a  character  that  they  could  be  shown  to  be  right  and  salutary, 
both  to  parents  and  pupils.  These  laws,  having  been  established,  were  to  be  rightly 
observed,  and,  by  making  every  young  man  feel  that  he  must  be  accountable  for  his 
own  actions,  prepare  him  for  becoming  a  member  of  society,  where  this  rule  is  to  be 
enforced  under  more  severe  penalties.  The  more  peculiar  a  young  man  is,  and  the 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  125 

more  his  peculiarities  have  been  suffered  to  gain  strength,  the  more  important  it  is 
that  he  should  be  subjected  to  the  same  restraints  as  his  fellows,  without  making 
any  allowance  for  his  eccentricities.  If  a  young  man  be  rude,  arrogant,  passionate, 
untruthful,  indolent,  unpunctual,  it  is  far  better,  after  one  admonition,  that  no 
allowance  whatever  be  made  for  these  evil  habits,  than  that  they  should  ripen  into 
confirmed  biases,  which  a  whole  lifetime  might  be  insufficient  to  correct. 

It  was  therefore  my  aim  to  have  110  laws  which  could  not  be  shown  to  be  perfectly 
reasonable,  and  then  to  execute  those  laws  with  all  possible  strictness  and  impar- 
tiality. Of  course,  in  saying  this  I  assume  that  it  will  be  understood  that  the  gov- 
ernment of  impulsive,  thoughtless  young  men  is  different  from  the  government  of 
adults.  It  must,  of  necessity,  be  kind,  conciliatory,  persuasive,  or,  in  a  word,  paren- 
tal. Penalty  must  bo  visited  only  after  other  means  of  restraint  and  correction  have 
been  tried  in  vain.  But  it  must  be  distinctly  understood  that  when  these  laws  have 
proved  ineffectual,  punishment  will  inevitably  come,  and  come  on  all  alike,  without 
the  shadow  of  partiality. 

In  the  government  of  a  college,  every  cxise  becomes  a  precedent ;  and  if  the  prece- 
dent  be  a  bad  one,  it  will  never  be  forgotten,  but  will  be  pleaded  without  fail,  as 
though  it  established  a  law.  I  always,  therefore,  considered  it  a  matter  of  prime 
importance  to  decide  every  new  case  correctly.  It  was  my  habit  to  take  time  for 
deliberation,  to  examine  each  case  in  all  its  bearings,  and  to  see  what  would  be  the 
result  of  a  decision  if  generally  adopted  as  a  rule.  I  endeavored  to  ascertain  the 
principles  on  which  a  decision  should  be  founded.  I  appreciated  the  fact  that  a  case 
settled  on  true  principles  would  harmonize  with  every  other  case  that  might  subse- 
quently occur,  whether  nearly  or  remotely  connected  with  the  one  before  me.  The 
laws  of  college,  and  the  results  of  violating  them,  became  thus  perfectly  well  known. 
When  the  younger  students  were  disposed  to  combine  in.  perpetuating  some  violation 
of  law,  their  seniors  would  tell  them  distinctly  what  would  be  the  inevitable  conse- 
quence, and  their  predictions  rarely  failed  of  fulfillment.  The  principles  which  gov- 
erned in  such  cases  were  well  understood,  and  it  was  known  that  by  these  principles 
all  cases  of  discipline  were  to  be  decided. 

SERVICES   FOR   THE    COLLEGE. 

No  two  persons  carry  away  just  the  same  impression  from  seeing  a 
beautiful  painting,  nor  do  they  use  the  same  thoughts  in  attempting  its 
description.  Perhaps  another  phase  of  what  Dr.  Wayland  did  for 
Brown  may  be  seen  from  the  graphic  delineation  given  by  Prof.  Diman: 

Yet  who,  after  all,  that  knew  Dr.  Wayland,  will  be  likely  to  accept  any  biography 
of  him  as  satisfactory?  No  analysis  of  his  intellectual  qualities,  no  summary  of  his 
personal  characteristics  could  set  him  forth.  What  power  in  his  very  presence,  defy- 
ing all  description,  as  the  most  speaking  faces  defy  the  art  of  the  photographer. 
What  reserved  force,  sleeping  in  silent  depths  till  stirred  by  great  occasion.  Such 
as  know  him  only  from  his  writings  have  gained  no  adequate  impression  of  the  man. 
There  are  works  that  seem  vitalized  with  a  writer's  personality.  In  the  vascular 
sentences  of  the  immortal  Essais  we  clasp  hands  across  the  chasm  of  three  centuries, 
with  the  owner  of  that  quaint  tower  that  still  looks  down  the  valley  of  the  Dor- 
dogne;  and  in  the  pensive  periods  of  the  Sketch  Book  we  almost  catch  the  beat  of 
Irving' s  heart.  But  what  suggestion  of  flesh  and  blood  was  ever  associated  with  a 
text-book  of  moral  science  or  of  political  economy  ?  Who  would  infer  the  uproarious 
fun  of  Luther  from  his  Commentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatiaus,  or  trace  in  the 
pages  of  The  Wealth  of  Nations  the  winsome  traits  of  Adam  Smith?  Not  even  in 
his  printed  sermons  is  Dr.  Wayland  presented  with  entire  accuracy,  for,' much  as  he 
commended  an  '  'unlearned  ministry  "  he  somehow  himself  selected  for  publication 
his  more  ornate  and  elaborate  productions.  He  appears  in  some  of  these  as  he  used 


126        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

to  appear,  arrayed  in  cap  and  gown,  in  tbo  stately  ceremonial  of  commencement  day, 
or,  as  he  will  appear  to  posterity,  in  the  stiff  full-length  portrait,  hanging  in  Rhode 
Island  Hall,  which,  as  an  achievement  of  high  art  in  wood,  is  only  equaled  hy  a  work 
of  the  same  artist,  the  picture  of  Mr.  Webster  in  his  reply  to  Hayne,  that  usurps  so 
nnduo  a  share  of  Faneuil  Hall.  How  little  does  all  this  resemble  the  imago  so  viv- 
idry  recalled  as  we  turn  the  pages  of  these  volumes.  That  little,  ill-lighted  chapel, 
long  since  numbered  among  the  things  that  were,  with  its  wide  gallery,  its  narrow 
dais,  its  benches  carved  all  over  with  the  images  and  superscriptions  of  successive 
generations,  in  painful  compliance  with  the  monkish  maxim,  that  to  labor  is  to  pray. 
How  distinct,  even  now,  sounds  that  heavy  tread  along  the  narrow  hall,  with  what 
emphasis  that  burly  form  bursts  through  the  door  and  up  the  steps,  with  what  ter- 
rific frown  that  brow  at  once  is  clouded  as  impatient  sophomores  beat,  with  their 
heels,  an  unseemly  march.  With  what  ntter  disregard  of  conventional  proprieties, 
yet  with  Avhat  genuine  and  awful  sense  of  divine  sanctities,  the  voice  rolls  out  the 
strains  of  Hebrew  David,  and  anon  melts  in  humble,  fervent  prayer.  Never  did  Dr. 
Way  land  seem  so  grand,  one  might  almost  say  inspired,  as  in  those  unbidden  gushes 
of  emotion  that  would  sometimes  convulsively  shake  his  great  frame  and  choke  his 
utterance.  The  finest  paragraph  in  his  missionary  sermon  would  not  compare  for 
eloquence  with  some  of  those  pungent  appeals  that  at  times  electrified  the  students 
at  their  Wednesday  evening  prayer  meeting.  How  the  chapel  would  be  hushed 
with  the  stillness  of  death  itself,  as,  in  tremulous  accents  and  voice  sinking  to  a 
whisper,  ho  would  dwell  on  tho  dread  responsibilities  of  the  soul.  There  was  never 
any  cant  of  stereotyped  exhortation,  never  any  attempt  to  rouse  a  superficial  emo- 
tion, but  always  direct  appeal  to  conscience  and  to  all  the  highest  instincts  of  youth- 
ful hearts.  In  this  most  difficult  task  of  dealing  with  young  men  at  the  crisis  of  their 
spiritual  history,  Dr.  Wayland  was  unsurpassed. 

How  wise  and  tender  his  counsels  at  such  a  time!  How  many  who  have  timidly 
stolen  to  his  study  door,  their  souls  burdened  Avith  strange  thoughts,  and  bewildered 
with  unaccustomed  questionings,  remember  with  what  instant  appreciation  of  their 
errand  the  green  shade  was  lifted  from  the  eye,  the  volume  thrown  aside,  and  with 
what  genuine,  hearty  interest  that  whole  countenance  would  beam.  At  such  an 
interview  ho  would  often  read  tho  parable  of  tho  returning  prodigal;  and  who  that 
heard  can  ever  forget  tho  pathos  with  which  ho  would  dwell  upon  tho  words,  "But 
when  ho  was  yet  a  great  way  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran, 
and  fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him."  These  were  the  moments  when  the  springs  of 
his  nature  were  revealed. 

"It  is  not  so  much  what  is  said,  as  the  way  in  which  it  is  said." 
Never  was  the  truth  of  an  aphorism  more  patent  than  when  a  descrip- 
tion is  attempted  of  Dr.  Wayland's  method  of  conducting  a  recitation. 
But  the  picture  would  be  incomplete  without  that  detail.  The  fol- 
lowing reminiscence  is  by  Rev.  Dr.  Silas  Bailey,  who  entered  Brown  in 
1830: 

In  a  resume"  of  what  ho  did  for  the  university,  his  first  service  was  reorganization 
in  discipline  and  instruction.  A  new  era  had  opened  and  its  demands  were  difterent 
from  those  of  tho  preceding  period.  The  need  of  education  then  had  been  for  what 
was  elementary.  The  country  now  was  feeling  the  mighty  possibilities  that  were 
inherent  in  itself  and  was  developing  them.  The  educational  complexionhad  changed, 
and  there  was  a  call  for  what  is  now  termed  "practical  education."  Dr.  Wayland 
saw  the  drift  and  met  it,  and  to  him  is  due  the  credit  of  inaugurating  tho  new  sys- 
tem at  Brown,  and  of  disseminating  his  ideas  as  an  instructor  to  the  country.  In 
tho  class  room  he  did  away  with  the  use  of  text-books.  His  theory  was  that  the 
instructor  should  himself  know  what  ho  was  to  teach,  and  should  draw  out  the  pupil 
so  that  he  could  state  in  a  thorough  manner  what  had  become  a  part  of  his  own 


BKOWN    UNIVERSITY.  127 

know ledge.  The  metliod  was  analytic ;  that  method  which  was  used  so  masterly  by 
the  president,  and  which  since  his  day  has  been  characteristic  of  the  students  of 
Brown. 

Judge  Story,  when  professor  at  the  Cambridge  Law  School,  was  accustomed  to  say 
that  he  could  distinguish  a  graduate  from.  Brown  University  by  his  power  of  seizing 
upon  the  essential  points  of  a  case  and  freeing  it  from  all  extraneous  matter. 

The  value  of  his  moral  solicitude  for  the  student  was  great.  He  was  in  the  habit 
of  addressing  each  as  "my  son,"  and  impressing  upon  him  his  own  personality.  In 
an  estimate  of  what  he  did  for  the  individual  members  of  Brown,  says  Prof.  Chace : 
"We  should  look  rather  to  the  characters  he  molded,  and  to  the  moral  and  reli- 
gious forces  he  set  in  action.  These,  as  well  as  the  productions  of  his  pen,  still  live 
and  will  continue  to  live.  Where  in  all  the  land  can  be  found  a  place  in  which  to-day 
he  is  not  working,  directly  or  indirectly,  through  those  whose  minds  he  formed  and 
inspired.  Nor  will  his  influence  terminate  with  the  lives  of  those  who  were  its  imme- 
diate recipients.  Moral  forces  never  die.  By  a  law  of  their  nature  they  perpetuate 
and  extend  and  multiply  themselves  indefinitely." 

He  constantly  practiced  what  ho  preached,  aud  the  students  knew  that  when  a 
decision  was  given  by  him  it  had  been  carefully  examined  on  all  sides. 

As  a  writer  of  text-books  he  placed  within  the  reach  of  the  students  what  they 
could  use  for  themselves.  His  chief  work,  because  more  universally  accepted,  and 
because  of  its  merit,  was  his  Moral  Philosophy.  This  was  an  expose"  of  a  system  of 
morals  not  culled  from  other  writers  and  tinged  with  their  views,  but  as  it  had 
filtered  through  his  own  mind  and  been  subjected  to  his  searching  and  critical  analy- 
sis. His  Intellectual  Philosophy  and  Political  Economy  were  of  value  to  his  own 
students,  and?  like  his  Moral  Philosophy,  were  used  by  other  institutions.  The 
library  received  under  him  careful  attention,  and  he  fostered  and  developed  its  life. 
The  scientific  resources  of  the  college  were  placed  on  a  firm  basis. 

PUBLIC    SERVICES. 

Dr.  Wayland  labored  not  alone  for  the  college,  although  that  was  ever 
first  in  his  thoughts,  but  was  always  alive  to  what  he  could  do  for  the 
community.  He  was  the  first  citizen  in  the  State,  and  the  university 
was  the  center  from  which  emanated  those  impulses  that  guided  and 
maintained  a  high  tone  in  the  community.  True,  the  city  was  not  so 
large,  and  the  desperate  struggle  for  wealth  had  not  set  in,  but  a  man 
of  narrower  mind  could  have  caused  the  position  of  the  college  as  a 
center  to  be  much  less. 

The  public  charities  found  in  him  a  ready  helper,  and  with  many  he 
had  an  official  connection.  Through  his  aid  as  an  inspector  the  State 
prison  became  a  reformatory  and  not  a  place  where  criminals  were 
confined. 

1  hiring  a  large  part  of  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  ho  conducted  every  week 
a  Bible  class  composed  of  convicts.  The  spectacle  presented  Avas  most  impressive — 
one  which  the  angels  might  desire  to  look  upon — as  with  heart  full  of  love  to  God 
and  man,  and  thought  intent  on  serving  one  and  doing  good  to  the  other,  he  took  his 
way  on  the  quiet  Sabbath  morning  toward  yonder  prison,  to  seek  there  the  outcasts 
from  society,  the  children  of  shame  and  sin  and  crime,  to  gather  them  around  him 
and  tell  to  them  in  language  of  indescribable  simplicity  and  tenderness  of  a  Savior 
who  loves  them  and  who  has  died  for  them;  of  an  atonement  so  large  and  so  free 
that  each  one  of  them,  however  guilty,  may  have  pardon  and  cleansing ;  to  lift  them 
by  his  broad,  overflowing  sympathies  from  their  sense  of  forsakenness  and  isolation; 


128       HISTORY    OF   HIGHER   EDUCATION   IN   RHODE    ISLAND. 

to  kindle  repentings  within  them ;  to  awaken  anew  their  moral  affections,  and  to 
restore  their  broken  relations  to  humanity,  to  God,  and  to  heaven.  He  may  have 
done  many  things  of  which  the  world  will  think  more  and  longer,  but  his  great  life 
offers  nothing  surpassing  in  moral  grandeur  these  almost  divine  labors.1 

*For  his  fellow-townsmen  he  was  always  ready  to  address  them  in 
words  of  cheer  or  of  admonition  and  warning.  From  all  the  tributes 
to  the  service  of  the  man  in  times  of  public  need,  no  better  selection 
could  be  made  than  from  the  scholarly  and  classic  Avords  of  Prof. 
Chace : 

A  few  months  before  his  death  an  occasion  arose  for  a  touching  exhibition  of  the 
respect  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  whole  community.  The  country  had  in  an 
instant  been  plunged  from  the  height  of  joy  into  the  deepest  mourning.  Its  honored 
and  beloved  Chief  Magistrate,  at  the  moment  when  he  was  most  honored  and 
beloved,  had  fallen  by  parricidal  hands.  The  greatness  of  the  loss,  the  enormity  of 
the  crime,  the  terrible  suddenness  of  the  blow  bewildered  thought  and  paralyzed 
speech.  It  seemed  as  if  Providence,  which  had  just  vouchsafed  so  great  blessings, 
was,  from  some  inscrutable  cause,  withdrawing  its  protective  care.  In  this  hour  of 
darkness  to  whom  should  the  citizens  go  but  to  him  who  had  so  often  instructed 
and  guided  them?  As  evening  draws  on  they  gather  from  all  quarters  with  one 
common  impulse  to  turn  their  steps  eastward.  Beneath  a  weeping  sky  the  long 
dark  column  winds  its  way  over  the  hill  into  the  valley.  As  it  moves  onward  the 
wailings  of  the  dirge  and  the  measured  tread  are  the  only  sounds  which  fall  upon 
the  still  air.  Having  reached  the  residence  of  President  Wayland,  it  pours  itself 
in  a  dense  throng  around  a  slightly  raised  platform  in  front  of  it.  Presently 
he  appears,  to  address  for  the  last  time,  as  it  proves,  his  assembled  fellow-citizens. 
It  is  the  same  noble  presence  which  many  there  had  in  years  long  gone  by  gazed 
upon  with  such  pride  and  admiration  from  seats  in  the  old  chapel.  It  is  the 
same  voice  whose  eloquence  then  so  inflamed  them,  and  stirred  their  young 
bosoms  to  such  a  tumult  of  passion.  The  speaker  is  the  same,  the  audience  is 
the  same.  But  how  changed  both,  and  how  altered  the  circumstances!  That 
hair  playing  in  the  breeze  has  been  whitened  by  the  snows  of  seventy  winters. 
That  venerable  form  is  pressed  by  their  accumulated  weight. 

The  glorious  intellectual  power  which  sat  upon  those  features  is  veiled  beneath 
the  softer  lines  of  moual  grace  and  beauty.  It  is  not  now  the  Athenian  orator,  but 
one  of  the  old  prophets,  from  whose  touched  lips  flow  forth  the  teachings  of  inspired 
wisdom.  The  dead  first  claims  his  thought.  He  recounts  most  appreciatively  his 
great  services  and  dwells  with  loving  eulogy  upon  his  unswerving  patriotism  and 
his  high  civic  virtues.  Next,  the  duties  of  the  living  and  the  lessons  of  the  hour 
occupy  attention.  Then  come  words  of  devout  thanksgiving,  of  holy  trust,  of 
sublime  faith,  uttered  as  he  only  ever  uttered  them.  They  fall  upon  that  waiting 
assembly  like  a  blessed  benediction,  assuaging  grief,  dispelling  gloom,  and  kindling 
worship  in  every  bosom.  God  is  no  longer  at  a  distance,  but  all  around  and  within 
them.  They  go  away  strengthened  and  comforted.. 

THE   NEW   SYSTEM. 

Wayland  had  come  before  the  public  as  an  advocate  of  what  was 
called  the  "New  System  in  Education."2  In  a  report  which  was  pre- 

1  The  Virtues  and  Services  of  Francis  Wayland,  by  George  I.  Chace,  p.  35. 

2  The  influence  of  Thomas  Jefferson's  ideas  of  university  education  may  perhaps 
be  traced  in  Dr.  Wayland's  report. — ED. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  129 

sented  to  the  corporation  lie  embodied  his  ideas.     As  this  system  made 
a  change  in  educational  methods,  an  abstract  of  the  paper  is  presented: 

The  present  condition  of  the  university  can  not  be  well  understood  without  con- 
sidering its  relation  to  collegiate  education  in  this  country,  nor  can  the  present 
condition  of  collegiate  education  in  this  country  be  understood  without  referring 
to  its  past  history  and  its  relation  to  university  education  in  Great  Britain,  from 
which  it  originated.  The  subjects,  therefore,  to  which  the  attention  of  the  corpora- 
tion will  be  directed  in  the  present  report  are  the  following : 

1.  The  system  of  university  education  in  Great  Britain. 

2.  The  progress  and  present  state  of  university  education  in  this  country. 

3.  The  present  condition  of  this  university. 

4.  The  measures  which  the   committee  recommend  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging 
the  usefulness  of  the  institution. 

5.  The  subject  of  collegiate  degrees:   Nos.  1  and  2  were  a  review  of  these  sub- 
jects.     Toward  the  end  of  2  it  was  shown  that  for  the  last  thirty  years  the  New- 
England    colleges    could   not    support   themselves.      The  demand  for  the   article 
produced  in  the  colleges  was  falling  off,  not  from  the  want  of  wealth,  or  intelligence, 
or  enterprise  in  the  community,  but  simply  because  a  smaller  number  of  the  com- 
munity desired  it. 

In  this  dilemma  two  courses  were  again  open  before  the  colleges.  The  first  was 
to  adapt  the  article  produced,  to  the  wants  of  the  community.  The  other  course 
was  to  appeal  to  the  charity  of  the  public,  and  thus  provide  the  funds  by  which 
the  present  system  might  be  sustained.  Have  the  efforts  that  have  been  made  in 
this  direction  accomplished  the  object  intended?  The  objects  designed  to  bo  accom- 
plished by  endowment  for  the  reduction  of  tuition  and  for  furnishing  it  gratuitously 
to  our  colleges  have  been,  we  suppose,  the  following: 

First.  To  increase  the  number  of  educated  men  in  the  whole  community. 

Second.  To  raise  the  standard  of  professional  learning,  and  thus  increase  its  intel- 
lectual power. 

Third.  To  increase  the  number  of  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

From  a  review  of  the  field  our  present  system  of  collegiate  education  is  not 
accomplishing  the  purposes  intended.  We  are,  therefore,  forced  to  adopt  the  supposi- 
tion that  our  colleges  are  not  filled  because  we  do  not  furnish  the  education  desired 
by  the  people.  We  have  instructed  them  upon  the  idea  that  they  are  to  be  schools 
of  preparation  for  the  professions. 

The  third  point  was  a  review  of  the  financial  situation  of  the  college  and  of  the 
impending  crisis.  If  the  institution  was  to  be  maintained  some  means  must  be 
adopted  for  its  relief.  Two  methods  present  themselves. 

The  first  is  to  continue  it  upon  its  present  system,  retaining  the  four  years'  course, 
considering  the  college  as  a  mere  preparatory  school  for  the  professions  of  law,  medi- 
cine, and  divinity,  and  digesting  the  various  branches  of  instruction  in  conformity 
with  this  idea. 

A  second  method  of  relieving  the  institution  from  its  present  embarrassments  has 
been  proposed,  suggested  from  the  view  your  committee  has  been  led  to  take  by  the 
present  condition  of  collegiate  education  in  New  England. 

Were  an  institution  established  with  the  intention  of  adapting  its  construction  to 
the  wants  of  the  whole  community,  its  arrangements  would  be  in  harmony  with  the 
following  principles : 

I.  The  present  system  of  adjusting  collegiate  study  to  a  fixed  term  of  four  years, 
or  to  any  other  term,  must  be  abandoned,  and  every  student  bo  allowed,  within  limits 
to  be  determined  by  statute,  to  carry  on  at  the  same  time  a  greater  or  less  number  of 
courses,  as  he  may  choose. 

II.  The  time  allotted  to  each  particular  course  of  instruction  would  be  determined 
by  the  nature  of  the  course  itself  and  not  by  its  supposed  relation  to  the  wants  of 
any  particular  profession. 

1123  R  j 9 


130        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

III.  The  various  courses  should  be  so  arranged  that  in  so  far  as  it  is  practicable 
every  student  might  study  what  he  chose,  all  that  he  chose,  and  nothing  "but  what 
he  chose.     The  faculty,  however,  at  the  request  of  a  parent  or  guardian,  should  have 
authority  to  assign  to  any  student  such  courses  they*  might  deem  for  his  advantage. 

IV.  Every  course  of  instruction,  after  it  has  been  commenced,  should  be  continued 
without  interruption  until  it  has  been  completed. 

V.  In  addition  to  the  present  courses  of  instruction,  such  should  be  established  as 
the  wants  of  the  various  classes  of  the  community  may  require. 

VI.  Every  student  attending  a  particular  course  should  be  at  liberty  to  attend 
any  other  that  ho  may  desire. 

VII.  It  should  be  required  that  no  student  be  admitted  as  a  candidate  for  a  degree 
unless  he  has  honorably   sustained  his   examination  in   such   studies   as  may   be 
ordained  by  the  corporation ;  that  no  student  be  under  any  obligation  to  proceed  to 
a  degree  unless  he  choose  to  do  so. 

VIII.  Every  student  should  be  entitled  to  a  certificate  of  such  proficiency  as  he 
may  have  made  in  every  course  that  he  has  pursued. 

The  courses  of  instruction  to  be  pursued  in  this  institution  might  be  as  follows : 

I.  A  course  in  Latin,  occupying  two  years. 

II.  A  course  in  Greek,  two  years. 

III.  A  course  in  three  modern  languages. 

IV.  A  course  in  pure  mathematics,  two  years. 

V.  A  course  in  mechanics,  optics,  and  astronomy,  either  with  or  without  mathe- 
matical demonstrations,  one  and  one-half  years. 

VI.  A  course  in  chemistry,  physiology,  and  geology,  one  and  one-half  years. 

VII.  A  course  in  the  English  language  and  rhetoric,  one  year. 

VIII.  A  course  in  moral  and  intellectual  philosophy,  one  year. 

IX.  A  course  in  political  economy,  one  term. 

X.  A  course  in  history,  one  term. 

XI.  A  course  in  the  science  of  teaching. 

XII.  A  course  on  the  principles  of  agriculture. 

XIII.  A  course  on  the  application  of  chemistry  to  the  arts. 

XIV.  A  course  on  the  application  of  science  to  the  arts. 

XV.  A  course  in  the  science  of  law. 

By  extending  its  advantages  to  every  class  in  the  community  the  number  of  pupils 
would  be  increased  for  the  following  reasons : 

I.  The  course  of  instruction  will,  it  is  hoped,  present  a  better  preparation  for  the 
learned  professions  than  that  pursued  at  present.     There  is  no  reason,  therefore, 
why  this  class  of  persons  should  be  diminished. 

II.  Opportunity  would  be  afforded  to  those  who  wished  to  pursue  a  more  general 
course  of  professional  education  to  remain  in  college  profitably  for  five  or  six  years 
instead  of  four,  as  at  present. 

III.  Many  young  men  who  intend  to  enter  the  professions  are  unwilling  or  unable 
to  spend  four  years  in  the  preparatory  studies  of  college.     They  would,  however, 
cheerfully  spend  one  or  two  years  in  such  study  if  they  were  allowed  to  select  such 
branches  of  science  as  they  chose.     This  class  would  probably  form  an  important 
addition  to  our  numbers,  and  we  would  thus,  in  some  degree,  improve  the  education 
of  a  large  portion  of  all  the  professions. 

IV.  If  we  except  the  ancient  languages,  there  are  but  few  of  the  studies  now  pur- 
sued in  college  which,  if  well  taught,  would  not  be  attractive  to  young  men  prepar- 
ing for  any  of  the  active  departments  of  life.     If  these  several  courses  were  so 
arranged  as  to  be  easily  accessible  to  intelligent  young  men  of  all  classes,  it  may 
reasonably  be  expected  that  many  will  desire  to  spend  a  term,  a  year,  or  two  years 
under  our  instruction. 

V.  It  is  not  probable  that  the  courses  of  instruction  in  agriculture  or  chemistry, 
or  science  applied  to  the  arts,  will,  of  necessity,  occupy  all  the  time  of  the  student. 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  131 

Many  of  these  persons  will  desire  to  avail  Ihemselves  of  the  advantages  so  easily 
placed  in  their  power.  Another  source  of  demand  for  the  courses  in  general  science 
would  thus  be  created. 

If  reasons  need  be  offered  for  attempting  the  change  in  our  collegiate  system  that 
ha;}  been  indicated,  the  following  will  readily  suggest  themselves: 

I.  It  is  just.     There  are  in  this  country  120  colleges,  42  theological  seminaries,  and 
47  law  schools,  and  we  have  not  a  single  institution  designed  to  furnish  the  agricul- 
turist, the  manufacturer,  the  mechanic,  or  the  merchant  with  the  education  that  will 
prepare  him  for  what  his  life  is  to  bo  devoted  to. 

II.  It  is  expedient.      Civilization  is  advancing,  and  it  can  only  advance  in  the  line 
of  useful  arts.     It  is,  therefore,  of  the  greatest  national  importance  to  spread  broad- 
cast over  the  community  that  knowledge  by  which  alone  the  useful  arts  can  be 
multiplied  and  perfected. 

III.  It  is  necessary.     Anyone  who   will  observe  the  progress  which,  within  the 
last  thirty  years,  has  been  made  by  the  productive   classes  of  society  in  power, 
wealth,  and  influence,  must  be  convinced  that  a  system  of  education  practically 
restricted  to  a  class  vastly  smaller  and  rapidly  decreasing  in  influence  can  not  pos- 
sibly continue. 

The  fourth  topic  discussed  the  history  of  degrees,  and  a  comparative  view  of  them 
as  in  use  here  and  in  England  was  presented.  The  fear  was  expressed  that  the  amount 
of  study  on  the  classics  would  be  diminished.  To  this  it  was  replied  if,  by  placing 
Latin  and  Greek  upon  their  own  merits,  they  are  unable  to  retain  their  present  place 
in  the  education  of  civilized  and  Christianized  man,  then  let  them  give  place  to 
something  better.  They  have  by  right  no  preeminence  over  other  studies,  and  it  is 
absurd  to  claim  it  for  them. 

In  view  of  these  facts  and  arguments,  the  committee  have  arrived  at  the  follow- 
ing conclusions : 

I.  This  college  can  not;  under  any  circumstances,  be  long  sustained  without  large 
addition  to  its  funds. 

II.  In  the  present  condition  of  collegiate  education  in  New  England  it  is  not  prob- 
able that  addition  to  its  funds  would  increase  the  number  of  its  students,  unless 
large  provisions  were  also  made  for  gratuitous  tuition. 

III.  Such  funds  might  attract  students  from  other  colleges,  but  would  do  little 
either  to  increase  the  aggregate  number  of  educated  men  or  to  extend  the  advan- 
tages of  education  to  those  classes  of  the  community  which  do  not  now  enjoy  them. 

IV.  There  is  reason  to  hope  that  the  same  amount  of  funds  which  would  be  neces- 
sary to  sustain  the  college  under  the  present  system  might,  if  the  system  were  modi- 
fied in  the  manner  above  suggested,  add  greatly  to  the  number  of  students  and  at 
the  same  time  confer  inestimable  advantages  on  every  class  of  society. 

This  report  was  adopted  and  the  sum  of  $125,000  raised.  This  pam- 
phlet created  no  little  excitement  in  academic  circles,  and  was  criti- 
cised favorably  and  unfavorably.  Suffice  it  to  say,  it  marked  the  dawn- 
ing of  a  new  era  in  education.  The  system  was  never  adopted  in  its 
entirety  as  devised  by  the  author ;  but  sufficiently  so  to  demonstrate  its 
success  at  that  time,  although  eventually  it  was  modified. 

MANNINGr  HALL. 

This,  the  third  building  of  the  university,  was  the  gift  of  Nicholas 
Brown,  who  gave  it  the  name,  Manning  Hall,  in  honor  of  the  first  presi- 
dent. The  ground  floor  was  at  first  used  for  the  library,  and  the 
chapel  was  in  the  upper  portion.  In  the  chapel  is  a  memorial  tablet  to 
Nicholas  Brown  and  to  those  who  fell  in  the  civil  war.  The  building 


132        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

possesses  some  interest  from  the  fact  that  it  is  a  model  of  the  temple  of 
Diana— Propylea  in  Eleusis— but  just  twice  the  size.  When  the  new 
building  was  erected  for  the  library,  the  books  were  removed  from 
Manning  Hall,  and  the  room  used  for  recitations.  It  now  contains  the 
colkiction  of  casts. 

RHODE   ISLAND    HALL. 

The  university  had  been  in  need  of  a  building  for  lecture  rooms  and 
for  the  reception  of  geological  and  physiological  specimens.  In  1830 
the  corporation  appointed  a  committee  to  devise  means  for  erecting 
such  a  building.  The  history  of  Rhode  Island  Hall  will  be  given  in  the 
following  extract  from  the  president's  annual  report  to  the  faculty  in 
1839: 

Nearly  two  years  since  the  president  of  the  university  received  a  letter  from  a 
lady  interested  in  the  prosperity  of  the  institution,  generoiisly  offering  the  sum  of 
$500,  to  be  appointed  to  the  increase  of  the  means  of  instruction  in  physical  science, 
provided  that  the  additional  sum  of  $1,500  should,  within  a  specified  time,  be  sub- 
scribed towards  the  same  object.  An  effort  was  made  to  raise  the  requisite  sum,  but 
it  unfortunately  failed.  The  lady  then  expressed  her  willingness  to  contribute  the 
the  same  amount  in  aid  of  any  other  effort  which  might  be  made  to  promote  the 
interests  of  learning  in  the  university. 

At  the  very  time  when  this  subject  was  in  agitation,  several  benevolent  gentlemen 
in  Providence  privately  expressed  to  some  members  of  the  corporation  a  willingness 
to  unite  in  any  attempt  that  might  be  thought  important  to  promote  the  prosperity 
of  the  institution.  Soon  after  the  last  commencement  (1838)  these  gentlemen  met  at 
the  house  of  the  president,  and  the  sum  of  $2,500  (including  the  offer  before  men- 
tioned) was  subscribed  towards  the  erection  of  an  additional  building  to  besdevoted 
to  the  purposes  of  physical  science.  After  considerable  effort  had  been  made,  and  it 
seemed  impossible  to  raise  the  subscription  to  the  required  amount,  the  treasurer  of 
the  university  received  from  the  munificent  benefactor  of  this  institution — the  Hon. 
Nicholas  Brown — a  letter,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy : 

PROVIDENCE,  March  18,  1839. 
MOSES  BROWN  IVES,  Esq., 

Treasurer  of  Brown  University  : 

DEAR  SIR:  In  common  with  a  number  of  the  friends  of  Brown  University,  I  desire 
the  erection  of  a  suitable  mansion  house  for  the  president,  and  likewise  of  another  col- 
lege edifice  for  the  accommodation  of  the  departments  of  natural  philosophy,  chem- 
istry, mineralogy,  geology,  and  natural  history.  As  it  is  highly  important  that  these 
buildings,  so  necessary  to  the  welfare  of  the  institution,  should  be  erected  without 
delay,  I  hereby  tender  to  the  acceptance  of  the  corporation  two  lots  of  land  on 
Waterman  street  as  a  site  for  the  president's  house  and  the  lot  of  land  called  the 
"  Hopkins  estate,"  on  George  street,  as  a  site  for  the  college  edifice;  and  1  hereby 
pledge  myself  for  the  sum  of  $10,000,  viz,  $7,000  for  the  president's  house  and  $3,000 
toward  the  erection  of  the  college  edifice,  the  suitable  improvement  of  the  adjacent 
grounds,  and  the  increase  of  the  permanent  means  of  instruction  in  the  departments 
of  chemistry,  mineralogy,  etc.,  provided  an  equal  amount  be  subscribed  by  the  friends 
of  the  university  before  the  1st  of  May  next. 

I  am,  with  affectionate  regards,  and  great  personal  respect  for  all  the  friends  and 
patrons  of  the  university,  respectfully, 

NICHOLAS  BROWN. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  133 

The  additional  sum  of  $10,890  was  raised,  and  Khode  Island  Hall 
was  dedicated  September  4,  1840,  Prof.  William  G.  Goddard  having 
written  the  address.  On  account  of  his  sudden  illness  he  was  pre- 
vented from  reading  it. 

In  1855  Dr.  Wayland  tendered  his  resignation,  for  he  felt  that  his 
health  would  not  permit  him  to  carry  on  the  responsibilities  of  the 
office.  Regretfully  this  was  accepted.  During  his  retirement  he  pur- 
sued his  literary  duties,  and  in  1857  he  resumed  pastoral  duties  for 
a  year.  He  never  ceased  to  identify  himself  with  every  good  word  and 
work.  His  death  occurred  at  his  home  in  Providence,  September  30, 
18C5.1 

UNIVERSITY    EXTENSION. 

In  late  years  much  has  been  said  and  accomplished  with  reference 
to  university  extension,  or  an  attempt  to  bring  the  university,  or 
higher  education,  down  to  the  people.  The  movement,  when  fairly 
tried,  has  met  with  success.  Reference  has  been  made  to  an  earlier 
attempt,  in  1785,  by  Prof.  Waterhouse,who  gave  a  course  of  lectures  in 
the  State  house.  In  1853  there  was  another  course,  for  the  professor  of 
chemistry  wished,  in  accord  with  the  design  of  the  new  system,  to  make 
his  department  of  some  practical  benefit  to  the  artisans  and  mechanics 
in  the  city.  The  number  of  men  engaged  in  the  jewelry  trade  gave 
him  the  idea  for  his  course,  which  he  announced  as  "The  chemistry 
of  the  precious  metals,"  and  consisted  of  eight  lectures.  They  were 
made  just  as  practical  as  possible,  and  their  success  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that  an  audience  of  nearly  335  assembled.  Said  one:  "I 
see  now  why  it  is  that  I  have  so  often  failed.  I  have  been  doing,  or 
trying  to  do,  these  things  all  my  life  without  ever  knowing  why." 
Said  another:  "If  I  had  known  these  things  years  ago,  it  would  have 
saved  me  thousands  of  dollars." 

In  recent  years  lectures  have  been  given  under  university  auspices 
from  time  to  time,  and  in  1890  was  formed  The  Historical  and  Politi- 
cal Economy  Association,  which  brought  the  university  to  the  people, 
through  the  medium  of  lectures. 

PRESIDENT  SEARS,  1855-1867. 

President  Wayland  resigned  the  presidency  in  1855,  and  the  corpora- 
tion, by  a  unanimous  vote,  elected  the  Rev.  Barnas  Sears  to  be  his  suc- 
cessor. Wayland  by  his  withdrawal  had  made  a  large  place  vacant, 
and  the  position  demanded  a  man  of  ability.  At  the  time  of  his  accept- 
ance Dr.  Sears  had  been  serving  as  secretary  of  the  Massachusetts 
Board  of  Education,  to  which  office  he  had  been  elected  upon  the  res- 

JDr.  Wayland  is  the  author  of  that  characteristic  saying  quoted  with- evident  ap- 
proval by  ex-President  A.  D.  White,  "A  college  president's  time  is  nibbled  away  by 
ducks."  President  Edward  Everett,  on  learning  that  Fisher  Auies  had  once  declined 
the  presidency  of  Harvard  College,  said  to  Jared  Sparks,  "Fisher  Ames  is  a  wise 
man." — ED. 


134        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

ignation  of  Horace  Mann  in  1848.  Sears  was  prominent  as  an  edu- 
cator and  had  filled  all  the  positions  of  trust  with  such  fidelity  and 
efficiency  that  he  was  the  choice  of  the  corporation  for  the  presidency 
of  the  college.  His  labor  was  honorable  not  only  to  his  alma  mater, 
but  also  to  the  nation,  to  whom  he  had  rendered  devoted  and  efficient 
service  in  his  wise  administration  of  a  great  philanthropy,  of  which  he 
was  the  general  agent. 

BIOGRAPHY.  * 

V 

Barnas  Sears  was  born  in  Sandisfield,  Mass.,  1802.  His  father  was 
a  farmer  and  his  mother  a  woman  of  piety.  As  a  boy  Barnas  was 
said  to  be  bright  and  full  of  fun.  When  he  reached  the  age  of  15 
he  asked  his  father  for  his  time,  in  order  that  he  might  support  him- 
self. At  this  time  an  uncle  of  his  told  the  father  that  he  might  as 
well  let  the  boy  go,  as  he  was  nothing  but  a  book  boy  anyhow,  arid 
never  seemed  to  care  about  work.  The  boy  was  a  lover  of  books,  and 
his  eager  desire  for  a  liberal  education  was  encouraged  and  stimulated 
by  his  mother.  So  eager  was  he  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  that  it  is 
said  he  would  spend  the  noonings  in  reading,  and  would  sometimes 
encroach  on  the  work  hours.  The  crisis  of  his  life  dated  from  his  thir- 
teenth year,  when  he  united  with  the  church.  It  was  then  that  he 
decided  to  consecrate  himself  to  the  Christian  ministry,  and  his  later 
effort  at  self-support  was  to  secure  the  means  for  the  fulfillment  of  his 
life's  purpose.  By  laboring  on  the  farm  in  the  summer  and  teaching 
school  in  the  winter  he  accumulated  the  means  for  his  collegiate  edu- 
cation. He  entered  Brown,  graduating  in  the  class  of  1825.  He  said 
while  in  college  that  it  was  his  ambition  at  the  outset  of  his  college 
career  to  stand  at  the  head  of  his  class,  but  subsequently  he  preferred 
a  broader  scholarship  without  "cramming,"  and  therefore  he  devoted 
himself  to  a  wider  range  of  study  than  that  which  was  prescribed  in 
the  ordinary  curriculum. 

The  following  statement  which  he  made  to  Prof.  Stearns  will  illus- 
trate his  thoroughness.  He  told  him  that  he  once  failed  to  locate  an 
event  which  happened  in  Constantinople.  In  consequence  he  secured 
all  the  maps  and  plans  he  could  find  concerning  the  city,  and  made 
himself  so  familiar  with  its  lanes  and  streets  that  he  believed  were  he 
to  visit  it  he  would  be  as  much  at  home  as  in  the  city  of  Boston.  A 
favorite  maxim  of  his  was,  "Whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth 
doing  well." 

After  the  completion  of  his  course  at  Brown  he  entered  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Newton,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1828.  He 
took  the  pastorate  of  a  Baptist  church  in  Hartford,  but  in  consequence 
of  ill  health  was  obliged  to  leave  after  two  years.  From  there  he  went 
to  the  professorship  of  ancient  languages  in  Hamilton  Literary  and 
Theological  Institution,  now  Colgate  University.  At  his  suggestion 
a  change  was  made  in  the  course  of  study  in  theology,  and  he  was 
transferred  to  the  chair  of  Biblical  theology.  Ill  health  and  the  fact 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  135 

that  no  class  was  ready  for  instruction  in  the  new  department  enabled 
him  to  study  in  Germany  for  a  season. 

From  Halle  he  went  to  Leipsic  and  came  under  the  influence  of  Winer, 
Rosenmiiller,  and  Hermann,  "  stimulated,"  as  he  says,  "by  their  genius 
and  learning."  Here  we  find  the  old  love  for  classical  studies  coining 
to  the  front.  "I  am  drinking,"  he  says,  "at  the  fountain  of  Greek  and 
Roman  literature,  and  could  easily  make  this  the  pursuit  of  my  life. 
English  is  becoming  a  dead  language  to  me  and  Latin  a  living  one." 
From  Leipsic  he  went  to  Berlin.  Here,  to  use  his  own  language,  he  came 
into  "  more  or  less  relationship  with  Miiller  (with  whom  no  living  philol- 
ogist can  dispute  the  palm) ;  Bopp,  the  founder  and  richest  ornament 
of  the  Sanskrit  school  of  comparative  philology ;  Bockh,  the  greatest 
Jiving  master  of  Grecian  antiquity ;  Bekker,  the  greatest  editor  of  the 
Greek  classics  from  manuscript'  authorities;  Zuinpt,  the  Latin  gram- 
marian; Grimm,  the  greatest  German  lexicographer  and  antiquary; 
Charles  Bitter,  the  prince  of  geographers;  Banke,  the  historian,  with 
no  rival  but  Guizot;  Neander,  the  reformer  and  almost  the  creator  of 
philosophical  church  history;  and  Tieck,  the  poet,  until  recently  the  pride 
of  the  court  of  Dresden."1  In  these  three  universities,  Halle,  Leipsic, 
and  Berlin,  he  laid  the  foundations  and  marked  the  boundaries  of  the 
department  of  Biblical  theology  in  Hamilton. 

Sears  had  gone  to  Germany  at  a  time  when  few,  especially  in  the 
department  of  Biblical  criticism,  had  been  able  so  to  do;  but  he  felt 
the  need  of  a  fresh  study  of  the  Hebrew  and  Greek,  with  all  the  side 
lights.  He  himself  was  unwilling  "  to  rest  until  a  conscious  mastery  of 
the  scholarship  and  advanced  thought  of  Germany  had  rendered  him 
master  of  the  situation  as  a  helper,  interpreter,  and  leader  of  the 
advancing  thought  of  his  own  country."  Returning  to  this  country  he 
was  called  to  Newton,  but  he  felt  that  Hamilton  had  the  prior  claim, 
although  before  the  year  closed  he  accepted  the  call  to  Newton,  and 
was  there  till  1848. 

While  at  Newton,  in  a  report  to  the  trustees,  he  said:  "The  leading 
objects  of  the  teachers  have  been:  (1)  To  create  a  deep  interest  in  the 
work;  (2)  to  point  out  the  extent  and  connections  of  the  subject  of 
inquiry,  together  with  the  method  to  be  pursued,  and  the  means  to  be 
employed;  (3)  to  have  the  results  of  such  investigations  and  reflections 
presented,  first  by  the  student,  then  by  the  class,  and  lastly  by  the 
teachers,  in  free  but  not  polemic  discussions ;  to  have  the  fundamental 
doctrines,  collateral  topics  in  any  branch  of  study,  the  most  important 
works,  ancient  and  modern,  on  theology,  the  best  chapters  and  treat- 
ises on  particular  topics  made  the  subject  of  analysis,  critiques,  trans- 
lations, etc.,  to  be  read  before  the  class  and  followed  by  oral  discus- 
sions. Neither  the  examination  of  text-books  nor  formal  lectures  have 
been  adopted." 

Such  were  his  methods  while  at  the  seminary. 


'Prof.  O.  S.  Stearns.     Baptist  Quarterly  Review,  1883.     No.  17. 


136        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

PUBLIC    SERVICES. 

When  Dr.  Sears  assumed  the  presidency  of  Brown  he  had  gained  a 
practical  insight  into  educational  matters,  inasmuch  as  he  had  suc- 
ceeded Horace  Mann  as  the  secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of 
Education.  Previous  to  that  he  had  taught  at  Madison  University  and 
also  at  Newton.  The  time  spent  in  foreign  study  was  used  most  advan- 
tageously, as  may  be  seen  from  his  letter  quoted  above.  The  success 
which  he  had  acquired  by  his  management  of  the  Board  of  Education 
may  be  seen  from  the  remarks  made  by  Mr.  Boutwell : 

When  the  intellectual  powers  of  Dr.  Sears  were  in  their  fullness,  when  his  scholar- 
ship was  recognized  generally  by  learned  men  and  by  universities,  when  his  capac- 
ity for  useful  public  services  had  been  decided  and  justified  by  experience,  he 
accepted  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Education.  His  pre- 
decessor— his  only  predecessor — was  Horace  Mann,  that  eminent  leader  of  public 
opinion,  the  reformer  of  the  methods  and  the  results  of  education,  who  had  impressed 
his  ideas  upon  the  people  and  woven  his  policy  into  the  institutions  of  the  State 
before  his  career  had  been  a  career  of  adversity,  in  which,  indeed,  he  had  triumphed. 
But  there  lingered  in  the  minds  of  many  the  belief  that  the  changes  which  he  had 
introduced  and  the  reforms  which  he  had  established  would  in  no  distant  day  be 
overthrown.  The  State  in  Dr.  Sears  secured  an  exponent,  an  advocate,  and  a  most 
temperate  defender  of  the  reforms  which  Horace  Mann  had  introduced.  There  was 
no  step  backward,  but  he  presented  always  a  genial  and  attractive  side  to  every  sub- 
ject to  the  public.  In  the  normal  schools,  in  the  teachers'  institutes,  in  the  county 
associations,  he  brought  into  the  public  service  eminent  men  and  distinguished 
teachers,  of  whom  I  may  mention  Prof.  Felton,  Prof.  Agassiz,  Lowell  Mason,  and 
others ;  and  thus  were  the  youth  and  the  children  of  the  State  brought  under  the  influ- 
ence of  persons  who  gave  them  high  ideas  of  life  and  the  best  practical  illustration 
of  the  art  of  teaching.  What  had  been  regarded  in  Mr.  Mann's  time  by  many  as 
experimental  became  under  Dr.  Sears  an  established  and  recognized  institution  of 
the  State.  Our  system  of  education — schools  for  all  the  people  and  sustained  by  the 
people — was  placed  upon  a  foundation  as  immovable  as  the  foundation  of  the  State 
itself.1 

PEABODY   TRUST   FUND. 

From  these  experiences,  that  were  rich  in  'developing  and  round- 
ing his  scholarly  mind,  he  took  the  presidency  of  Brown  University. 
He  was  at  its  head  till  1867.  In  order  to  understand  what  a  rare  man 
he  was,  and  what  an  institution  would  gain  with  him  at  his  head,  his 
career  from  1867  will  be  sketched.  It  is  apropos  of  his  presidency, 
because  he  was  called  away  from  the  very  midst  of  his  duties  at  the 
university,  and  was  able  at  once  to  assume  the  duties  of  his  new  posi- 
tion, which  was  that  of  general  agent  of  the  Peabody  Trust  Fund,  for 
promotion  of  education  in  the  more  destitute  portions  of  the  Southern 
and  Southwestern  States.  Mr.  Peabody  had  told  his  intention  to  llobert 
C.  Winthrop  and  that  gentleman  knew  his  wishes.  The  board  which 
he  had  chosen  to  care  for  the  trust,  was  organized  in  February,  1867,  but 
was  at  a  loss  as  to  how  the  trust  should  be  executed.  Mr.  Winthrop 
met  Dr.  Sears  the  next  month  in  Boston,  and  told  him  the  perplexities 

1  Remarks  by  Hon.  George  S.  Boutwell  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Sears 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  137 

and  embarrassments  which  were  weighing  upon  him,  for  Mr.  Peabody 
had  wished  him  to  direct  the  primary  action  of  the  board.  He  asked 
Dr.  Sears  if  he  would  give  him  the  benefit  of  his  advice  and  judgment 
on  the  whole  matter.  Dr.  Sears  consented  and  wrote  him  a  letter, 
which  contained  in  suggestion  the  very  policy  which  was  adopted  in 
the  execution  of  the  trust.  He  also  promised  that  he  would  meet  with 
the  board  for  aid  and  counsel  if  his  help  should  be  needed.  The  board 
did  need  him  and  he  met  with  it  in  March  at  the  adjourned  meeting. 
He  was  unanimously  chosen  as  its  general  agent,  but  did  not  accept 
till  the  9th  of  April.  He  served  in  this  capacity  for  thirteen  years,  till 
his  death,  in  1880,  at  Saratoga. 

The  administration  of  this  trust  of  $2,000,000  was  difficult  and  deli- 
cate. The  South  was  in  that  condition  in  which  a  country  is  left  after 
the  conclusion  of  a  civil  war;  there  was  no  precedent  which  could  be 
followed  in  the  execution  of  the  trust;  and  such  a  course  of  conduct 
must  be  followed  that  should  prove  advantageous  for  the  future.  In 
the  words  of  Mr.  Winthrop,  in  reference  to  the  letter  of  suggestion 
which  Dr.  Sears  wrote  him — 

This  letter,  so  hastily  written,  has  iiideed  proved  to  be  a  perfect  chart  of  our 
course,  as  the  writer  of  it  has  proved  to  have  been  a  perfect  pilot. 

The  relations  existing  between  Dr.  Sears  and  Mr.  Winthrop  were 
close,  and  the  choice  of  Dr.  Sears  was  a  wise  one.  How  wise  was  his 
management,  the  following  extract  from  Mr.  Peabody's  own  words  will 
indicate: 

I  must  not  omit  to  congratulate  you,  and  all  who  have  at  heart  the  best  interests 
of  this  educational  enterprise,  upon  your  obtaining  the  highly  valuable  services  of  Dr. 
Sears  as  your  general  agent— services  valuable  not  merely  in  the  organization  of 
schools  and  of  a  system  of  public  education,  but  in  the  good  effect  which  his  con- 
ciliatory and  sympathizing  course  has  had,  wherever  he  has  met  or  become  associated 
with  the  communities  of  the  South,  in  social  or  business  relations.1 

The  general  esteem  in  which  Dr.  Sears  was  held,  as  agent  of  the 
Peabody  Fund,  was  voiced  by  Mr.  Winthrop  when  he  addressed  the 
board  at  its  meeting  in  February,  1881,  the  year  following  the  death 
of  Dr.  Sears: 

But  he  did  not  conclude  that  letter  without  recalling  the  words  of 
encouragement  addressed  to  him  by  Mr.  Peabody  when  they  parted  for  the  last 
time:  "Your  name  will  be  remembered  in  connection  with  mine."  And  so  it  will 
be.  It  is  not  too  much  for  me  to  say,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  all  agree  with  me,  that 
whenever  and  wherever  the  name  of  George  Peabody  shall  be  remembered  and 
honored  as  the  munificent  founder  of  this  great  trust  for  Southern  education — the 
earliest  signal  manifestation  of  a  spirit  of  reconciliation  toward  those  from  whom 
we  have  been  so  unhappily  alienated— the  name  of  Dr.  Barnas  Sears  will  be  recalled 
and  honored  also,  as  the  original  organizer  and  devoted  administrator  of  the  trust 
for  the  first  thirteen  years  of  its  existence — the  years  which  have  determined  its 
policy  and  insured  its  success.2 

1  Peabody  Educational  Fund.     Proceedings,  Vol.  n,  p.  314. 

2  Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop  in  Peabody  Educational  Fund.     Proceedings,  Vol.  n, 
p.  320. 


138        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 
RECOLLECTIONS    OF   DR.    SEARS. 

The  public  services  of  Dr.  Sears  just  preceding  and  subsequent  to 
his  presidency  of  the  college  have  been  cited  to  show  the  generous 
equipment  of  the  man  who  was  to  preside  over  the  academic  councils 
of  the  university.  His  genius  was  excelled  only  by  his  modesty. 
Said  one  who  knew  him  well  at  this  period : 

llo  was  one  of  the  most  unassuming  men  I  ever  saw.  The  charms  of  his  conver- 
sation I  shall  never  forget. 

The  students  respected  and  loved  Dr.  Sears.  It  was  his  practice  to 
put  the  young  men  on  their  honor,  and  he  also  abolished  many  of  the 
minor  penalties  of  college  discipline.  He  wished  his  pupils  to  feel  that 
they  could  confide  in  him  and  that  they  would  allow  him  to  aid  them. 
But  while  his  discipline  was  paternal,  he  could  also  be  severe  if  the 
occasion  warranted  it,  and  the  student  who  incurred  his  righteous 
indignation  found  him  strict  and  stern.  He  was  able  to  arouse  in  his 
pupils  a  desire  to  know  the  truth  and  to  set  before  them  lofty  ideals, 
whereby  they  could  make  better  their  own  and  the  lives  of  their  fel- 
lows. Said  one  of  his  students : 

If  I  have  made  any  attainments  in  study  or  done  any  good  work  for  the  church  of 
Christ  it  has  been  largely  due  to  the  influence  of  Dr.  Sears.  I  have  always  cherished 
a  filial  reverence  for  the  great  teacher  who  inspired  me,  and  a  genuine  love  for  the 
large-hearted  Christian,  who  has  been  to  me  an  ideal  manhood. 

The  best  impression  of  his  class-room  manner  is  obtained  from  this 
reminiscence  by  J.  B.  G.  Pidge,  of  Philadelphia: 

There  will  be  no  sincerer  mourners  for  Dr.  Sears  than  the  graduates  of  Brown 
under  his  presidency  from  1855-1867.  They  will  feel  such  sorrow  at  his  loss  as  is 
only  experienced  at  the  death  of  a  dear  friend.  They  will  recall  him  as  the  well- 
beloved  president,  the  inspiring  teacher,  the  broad  and  generous  scholar.  What- 
ever other  testimonies  his  memory  may  receive,  the  students  of  Brown  during  those 
years  will  pay  the  tribute  of  love.  For  Dr.  Sears  was,  above  all,  perhaps,  a  "loved" 
president.  The  students  in  his  classes  were  led,  not  driven.  Perhaps  on  this  account 
lazy  and  dull  students  made  but  little  progress  under  him,  and  those  who  only 
learned  what  they  must  came  forth  from  his  instructions  with  a  smaller  amount  of 
actual  information  than  they  were  in  the  habit  of  carrying  away  from  a  course  of 
study.  But  even  such  students  came  forth  with  minds  broadened  with  contact  with 
scholarship  so  complete  and  well  rounded,  and  if  ho  did  not  succeed  in  enticing 
them  to  a  love  of  good  learning  he  made  them  feel  the  immense  superiority  of  true 
scholarship  and  culture,  the  culture  and  scholarship  which  embrace  both  heart  and 
mind,  to  that  education  which  makes  a  man  merely  a  walking  text-book. 

It  was  doubtless  an  easy  task  for  the  indolent  to  pass  through  the  studies  of  Dr. 
Scars's  course,  for  ho  was  not  a  severe  disciplinarian,  and  those  who  had  been  in 
mortal  dread  of  the  recitation  room  felt  that  they  had  at  last  reached,  a  haven  of 
rest.  The  little  book  in  which  the  professor  was  wont  to  mark  the  value  of  a  stu- 
dent's recitation  was  no  longer  seen.  It  was  a  tradition  in  the  college  that  Dr. 
Sears  did  all  the  marking  of  his  classes  at  the  end  of  the  term.  But,  however  that 
might  be,  the  students  were  well  aware  that  their  recitations  were  estimated  not  by 
any  accidental  qualities  which  they  might  possess,  but  by  their  general  character. 
He  knew  that  ho  should  not  receive  any  special  credit  for  some  sudden  brilliancy 
nor  any  discredit  for  some  momentary  deficiency.  Dr.  Sears  acted  on  the  principle 
that  learning  should  be  sought  for  its  own  sake;  and,  therefore,  ho  kept  entirely  in 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  139 

the  background  every  other  incentive.  The  student  who  could  not  be  stimulated 
by  the  mere  love  of  learning  had;  therefore,  an  easy  time  of  it  and  brought  away 
bnt  small  results.  But  for  those  who  could  be  led  by  such  an  incentive  the  intro- 
duction to  Dr.  Sears's  classes  marked  an  epoch  in  their  mental  development.  The 
recitation  room  lost  the  feverish  interest  it  had  possessed  as  a  place  where  each  day 
the  student's  measurement  was  taken  and  recorded,  raid  became  a  place  of  purest 
enjoyment.  Study  was  made  easy  for  the  bright  as  well  as  for  the  dull  student, 
but  it  was  made  easy  for  the  former  becaiise  it  was  rendered  so  attractive.  He 
began  to  see  the  difference  between  culture  and  learning,  and  he  grew  to  take 
broader  ideas  of  what  education  should  be. 

The  hours  at  the  feet  of  Dr.  Sears  sifted  men  as  they  had  not  been  sifted  before. 
No  mere  parrot-like  recitations  would  now  suffice — sucli  scholarship  was  at  a  dis- 
count. It  was  no  longer  mere  fluency  of  tongue  and  readiness  of  memory,  nor  on 
the  other  hand  any  pretensions  and  profound  egotism  that  stepped  to  the  front,  but 
the  true  scholar  who  loved  learning,  but  also  enduring  labor  as  a  necessary  means 
to  its  acquisition.  And  I  am  convinced  that  the  influence  of  that  recitation  room 
has  been  a  larger  one  than  we  ever  dreamed  it  could  become.  Dr.  Sears  cared  so 
little  to  impress  his  own  ideas  upon  ua  that  he  used  to  say  lie  cared  not  whether 
wo  remembered  what  ho  taught  or  not,  so  that  we  only  learned  to  think  for  our- 
selves. Few  of  his  students,  perhaps,  will  bo  able  to  remember  his  views  of  dis- 
puted points  in  philosophy,  for  he  never  made  them  prominent;  but  they  can 
never  forget  the  general  tenor  of  his  instructions,  which  sought  to  imbue  them 
with  a  love  of  truth  and  goodness,  and  made  the  good  life  appear  the  only  true  life. 

His  task  was  a  difficult  one,  in  that  lie  was  called  to  be  the  successor 
of  Dr.  Wayland,  wlio  for  twenty-five  years  had  served  the  university. 
But  by  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  religion  and  education  he  soon 
won  the  confidence  of  the  friends  of  Brown.  Regarding  his  connection 
with  the  faculty  Prof.  Lincoln  said : 

Of  all  the  administrators  of  the  aifairs  of  the  college  no  one  was  more  highly 
esteemed  and  more  truly  loved  during  all  the  time  of  his  administration  than 
President  Sears.  I  remember  how  he  awakened  our  admiration  by  the  stores  of 
knowledge  which  he  had  always  ready  at  either  hand,  how  ho  impressed  all  with 
profound  respect  for  religion  and  love  of  God.  I  am  sure  that  all  his  pupils,  whether 
in  the  class  room  where  he  taught  them  or  in  the  chapel  where  ho  preached  to  them, 
were  impressed  by  the  soundness  of  his  judgments,  and  I  think  he  bound  them  to 
him  by  the  sincerity  and  unaffected  interest  which  he  always  showed  for  their  personal 
welfare. 

SCHOLARSHIPS. 

In  the  days  of  Manning  a  scheme  had  been  devised  by  him  whereby 
worthy  young  men  could  be  aided  in  securing  an  education  when  they 
had  not  sufficient  means  of  their  own.  Manning's  views  are  embodied 
in  a  letter  which  he  wrote  in  1783  to  Dr.  Stennett,  of  London: 

Several  pious  youths,  who  promised  fair  for  the  ministry,  having  picked  up  some 
grammar  learning,  have  applied  to  me  to  know  whether  anyway  can  open  for  their 
assistance  in  getting  an  education.  This  has  led  me  to  think  of  a  plan  to  assist  such, 
and  I  have  sketched  out  the  following:  That  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Samuel  Stillman, 
Gardner  Thurston,  Isaac  Backus,  John  Gano,  Hozekiah  Smith,  with  the  president, 
be  a  standing  committee  of  the  corporation,  and  in  case  of  the  demise  of  any  of  them 
their  number  to  be  lilled  up  from  time  to  time  by  themselves,  who,  or  the  major  part 
of  them,  shall  examine  or  approve  of  such  as  shall  be  candidates  to  receive  the  assist- 
ance which  111:1  y  bo  proffered  to  worthy  characters  in  that  way,  and  to  say  in  what 
proportions  it  shall  be  dealt  out  to  them.  It  will  be  easy  to  procure  a  vote  of  the 


140        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

corporation  to  invest  this  committee  with  all  necessary  powers  to  discharge  this 
trust,  and  I  have  fixed  upon  men  whose  doctrinal  and  practical  principles,  as  well 
as  their  character  in  this  country,  will  entitle  them  to  the  highest  confidence  of 
benefactors  to  this  fund.  I  was  long  convinced  that  a  plan  of  this  kind  would  bo 
vastly  serviceable  and  proposed  it  to  some  of  my  friends,  wh)se  only  objection 
against  it  was  its  interference  with  endowing  the  college,  which  was  an  object  of 
the  greatest  importance;  but  I  am  of  opinion  that  many  would  be  induced  to  give 
for  this  purpose  who  would  not  on  any  other  consideration.  Should  a  donation  be 
offered,  and  these  persons  be  mentioned  for  the  trust  in  this  way  I  have  suggested, 
by  some  gentleman  out  of  the  corporation,  I  am  convinced  that  it  would  immediately 
take,  and  that  something  considerable  could  soon  bo  raised,  which  would  be  of  stand- 
ing benefit  to  our  churches  and  more  widely  disseminate  the  knowledge  of  truth. 
Such  has  been  the  feeling  through  New  England  in  favor  of  a  college  education  that 
our  pious  illiterate  ministers  are  greatly  circumscribed  in  their  sphere  of  usefulness, 
of  which  many  of  them  are  sufficiently  sensible,  and  heartily  wish  their  successors 
may  be  enabled  to  obviate  this  objection.  A  great  and'effectual  door  is  opened  for 
the  labors  of  Baptist  ministers  throughout  our  vast,  extended  frontiers,  and  many 
new  churches  have  been  lately  constituted  in  that  howling  wilderness;  and  indeed 
the  labors  of  our  society  seem  there  generally  preferred. 

Nothing  was  accomplished  at  this  time,  because  there  was  no  pro- 
vision made  by  which  funds  could  be  secured  for  that  purpose.  It  was 
problematical  what  Dr.  Stennett  would  have  done  had  he  lived,  for  he 
died  nearly  three  months  before  this  letter  was  sent.  The  letter,  how- 
ever, indicated  Manning's  sentiments  on  the  matter. 

During  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Sears  a  system  of  scholarships  was 
founded  upon  a  basis  very  similar  to  that  suggested  by  Manning,  except 
that  they  were  open  to  young  men  of  any  denomination.  President 
Sears  considered  this  foundation  as  one  of  the  most  important  acts  in 
his  administration.  He  said: 

The  contributions  for  scholarships  and  for  general  purposes  made  by  the  business 
men  of  Providence  and  vicinity  during  the  past  year  are  received,  not  only  as  an 
evidence  of  interest  iu  the  success  of  the  college,  but  as  a  pledge  of  future  support 
from  the  people  themselves,  as  well  as  from  a  few  distinguished  patrons.  That 
between  25  and  30  individuals  could  be  found,  mosfc  of  whom  had  never  before  been 
in  any  way  identified  with  the  college,  to  contribute  $1,000  apiece  to  supply  its  wants 
and  increase  its  influence  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  and  encouraging  signs  of  the 
times.  This  is  not,  indeed,  the  first  time  that  the  people  of  Providence  have  shown 
their  liberality  as  patrons  of  learning,  but  never  before  have  contributions  fixed 
at  this  standard  come  from  so  many  individuals. 

A  fund  had  been  left  by  Nicholas  Brown  and  the  corporation  voted 
in  1858  to  devote  it  to  the  purpose  of  aiding  deserving  young  men  in 
obtaining  their  education  while  members  of  the  university.  This  gave 
11  scholarships,  at  $1,000  each.  In  addition  to  those  there  were  36 
others,  at  $1,000  each. 

The  university  has  now  about  100  scholarships.  Sixty-four  of  them 
are  of  $1,000  each.  The  income  of  these  is  given,  under  the  direction 
of  a  committee  appointed  by  the  corporation,  to  meritorious  students 
who  may  need  pecuniary  assistance ;  but  a  scholarship  is  forfeited 
if  the  candidate  incurs  college  censure,  or  fails  to  secure  at  least  75 
per  cent  of  the  maximum  marking.  The  $1,000  scholarships  are  as 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  141 

follows,  each,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  bearing  the  name  of  its 
founder : 

The  eleven  Nicholas  Brown  Scholarships. 

The  four  University  Scholarships. 

The  President's  (Sears)  Scholarship. 

The  six  Alva  Woods  Scholarships. 

The  James  H.  Duncan  Scholarship. 

The  Isaac  Davis  Scholarship. 

The  Arnold  Whipple  Scholarship,  founded  by  Mrs.  Arnold  Whipple. 

The  Ephraiin  Wheaton  Scholarship,  founded  by  James  Wheatou. 

The  Joseph  Brown  Scholarship,  founded  by  Mrs.  E.  B.  Rogers. 

The  Gardner  Colby  Scholarship. 

The  James  Y.  Smith  Scholarship. 

The  two  S.  S.  Bradford  Scholarships. 

The  Frances  E.  Arnold  Scholarship. 

The  Cornelia  E.  Green  Scholarship. 

The  Crocker  Scholarship,  founded  by  Robert  H.  and  Thomas  P. 
Ives,  trustee. 

The  Clark  Scholarship,  also  founded  by  the  Messrs.  Ives. 

The  Albert  Day  Scholarship. 

The  Henry  P.  Kent  Scholarship. 

The  Romeo  Elton  Scholarship. 

The  five  Annie  E.  Waters  Scholarships. 

The  L.  Fairbrother  Scholarship,  founded  by  Mrs.  L.  Fairbrother. 

The  George  Lawton  Scholarship. 

The  John  P.  Crozer  Scholarship,  founded  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Bucknell. 

The  Horatio  N.  Slater  Scholarship. 

The  Earl  P.  Mason  Scholarship. 

The  Newport  Scholarship,  founded  by  William  Sanford  Rogers. 

The  Alexis  Caswell  Scholarship. 

The  George  K.  and  H.  A.  Pevear  Scholarship. 

The  Joseph  C.  Hartshorn  Scholarship  I. 

The  Rogers  High  School  Scholarship,  founded  by  William  oaniord 
Rogers. 

The  James  Wheaton  Scholarship. 

The  Charles  Thurber  Scholarship. 

The  Pardon  Miller  Scholarship,  founded  by  Mrs.  Ann  E.  Miller. 

The  Hezekiah  S.  Chase  Scholarship. 

The  William  Bucknell  Scholarship. 

The  Austin  Merrick  Scholarship,  founded  by  Mrs.  Olive  E.  Merrick. 

The  three  (Henry)  Jackson  Scholarships. 

The  Murnford  Scholarship,  founded  by  Mrs.  Louisa  D.  Mumford. 

The  Henry  Clifford  Knight  Scholarship,  founded  by  Miss  Amelia  S. 
Knight,  in  memory  of  her  brother,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1875. 

The  Thurston  Scholarship,  founded  by  Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Thurston. 

The  Rufus  Babcock  Scholarship,  founded  by  Mrs.  Caroline  Vassar 


142        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

Babcoek  Jones,  in  memory  of  her  father,  .Rev.  Eufus  Babcock,  ]).  i).,  of 
the  class  of  1821. 

Besides  the  above  scholarships  there  are  others,  the  assignment  of 
which  is  made  subject  to  special  provisions.  These  are  as  follows: 
*  The  Bartlett  Scholarship,  of  $4,000,  founded  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Slater 
Bartlett,  the  income  to  be  "  devoted  to  the  support  of  one  or  more  stu- 
dents needing  pecuniary  aid  and  giving  promise  by  studious  aims  and 
by  character  and  scholarship  of  rising  to  distinction  and  usefulness." 

The  Glover  Scholarships,  of  $5,000,  founded  by  Henry  E.  Glover,  "in 
memory  of  his  father,  Samuel  Glover,  a  graduate  of  the  college,  of  the 
class  of  1808,  and  of  his  brother,  Samuel  Glover,  jr.,  of  the  class  of 
1839."  Assignment  is  made  upon  the  basis  of  character  and  attain- 
ments. 

The  Scholarship  of  the  Class  of  1838,  of  $3,800,  founded  by  members 
of  the  class  of  1838,  and  also  assigned  upon  the  basis  of  character  and 
scholarship. 

The  Philadelphia  Alumni  Scholarship,  of  $1,500,  founded  by  the 
a  Philadelphia  Alumni  Association  of  Brown  University." 

The  Joseph  Charles  Hartshorn  Scholarship  IT,  of  $2,000,  founded  by 
the  gentleman  whose  name  it  bears. 

The  George  J.  Sherman  Scholarships  I  and  II,  of  $1,000  each,  founded 
by  the  gentleman  whose  name  they  bear. 

The  Scholarships  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  By  resolutions 
of  the  general  assembly  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  the  national 
grant  "  for  the  benefit  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts  n  was  given 
to  Brown  University;  and  the  fund  of  $50,000  which  has  accrued  from 
this  grant  is,  by  agreement  on  the  part  of  the  university,  devoted  to 
the  education  of  scholars,  each  at  the  rate  of  $75  per  annum,  to  the 
extent  of  the  entire  annual  income.  Appointments  to  these  scholar- 
ships are  made,  on  the  nomination  of  the  general  assembly,  by  the 
governor  and  secretary  of  state,  in  conjunction  with  the  president  of 
the  university. 

The  <;aid  fund"  is  a  fund  of  several  thousand  dollars,  the  income 
of  which  is  applied,  either  by  loan  or  by  gift,  to  the  assistance  of  deserv- 
ing young  men  of  limited  means. 

EXEMPTION   FROM    TAXATION. 

And  furthermore,  for  the  greater  encouragement  of  tliis  seminary  of  learning,  and 
that  the  same  may  be  amply  endowed  and  enfranchised  with  the  same  privileges, 
dignities,  and  immunities  enjoyed  by  the  American  colleges  and  European  universi- 
ties, we  do  grant,  enact,  ordain,  and  declare,  and  it  is  hereby  granted,  enacted, 
ordained,  and  declared,  that  tlic  college  estate,  the  estates,  persons,  and  families  of 
tlio  president  and  professors,  for  the  time  being,  lying  and  being  within  the  colony, 
with  the  persons  of  the  tutors  and  students,  during  their  residence  at  the  college, 
shall  be  freed  and  exempted  from  all  taxes,  serving  on  juries,  and  menial  services. 

Such  were  the  provisions  of  the  charter  with  regard  to  exemption 
from  taxation.  During  the  commencement  of  the  war  period  this  sub- 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  143 

ject  of  taxation  was  made  a  matter  of  discussion,  but  was  so  settled  as 
to  preserve  cordial  the  relations  between  the  university  and  the  city. 
This  was  not,  however,  the  first  time  that  this  subject  had  aroused  dis- 
cussion. As  early  as  1772,  by  the  town  meeting,  "all  taxes"  were  con- 
strued as  applying  to  the  taxes  that  were  due  the  colony,  and  the 
annual  town  tax  was  assessed  and  levied  on  the  estates  of  the  presi- 
dent and  the  professors.  For  two  years  this  practice  was  followed,  but 
in  1774  the  assessors  omitted  to  assess  them  on  the  ground  that  they 
were  exempted  by  the  charter.  This  provoked  a  newspaper  discussion 
which  was  so  animated  that  it  was  suggested  a  special  town  meeting 
be  called,  but  wiser  counsel  prevailed.  The  following  document,  found 
in  the  archives  of  the  university,  will  show  the  feeling  in  the  college 
on  the  subject: 

In  order  to  give  satisfaction  to  the  town  of  Providence,  we  whoso  names  are 
underwritten  do  declare  and  make  known  that  it  is  our  real  sentiment  that  the  col- 
lege estate  within  the  town  (the  edifice  itself,  president's  house  and  garden,  and  the 
laud  appropriated  to  the  use  of  a  yard  to  the  college  excepted),  together  with  the 
person  and  estates  of  the  president  and  professors,  are  in  law  and  justice  bound  to 
pay  their  equal  proportion  of  the  town  rates.  Therefore,  we  do  publicly  and  sol- 
emnly promise,  under  the  freemen  of  the  town  now  in  town  meeting  assembled,  that 
wo  will  both  in  our  public  and  private  assemblies  exert  ourselves  to  the  utmost  of 
our  abilities  to  cause  for  the  future  all  taxes  that  shall  bo  levied  on  the  person  and 
estates  aforesaid  by  this  town  to  be  punctually  paid.  In  witness  whereof  we  have 
hereunto  set  our  hands,  in  Providence,  this  19th  day  of.  April,  A.  D.  1774. 

The  discussion  was  revived  during  the  period  of  the  "late  unpleas- 
antness "  and  conducted  with  calmness  on  each  side.  The  president, 
with  an  eye  to  the  future  good  of  the  college,  argued  that  the  wealthy 
professors  were  the  ones  who  would  receive  the  greater  advantage 
from  such  exemption,  and  not  those  who  had  but  little  property  to  be 
taxed.  Then,  too,  in  our  form  of  government,  for  an  institution  of 
learning  to  flourish  it  must  have  the  good  will  of  the  people.  On  the 
other  hand,  he  held  that  the  general  assembly  had  never  made  any 
appropriation  for  the  college,  which  had  been  of  great  benefit  to  the 
State,  hence  any  interference  with  the  chartered  rights  would  be 
unjust. 

In  1862,  after  various  preliminary  steps,  the  following  act  was 
passed : 

Whereas  in  times  of  public  danger  all  persons  ought  to  bear  their  share  of  the 
public  burdens  in  proportion  to  their  ability,  and  this  general  assembly  have  full 
confidence  in  the  patriotism  of  the  said  president  and  professors  and  in  their  will- 
ingness to  bear  their  proper  share  of  the  taxation  necessary  for  the  ^reservation 
of  one  Union  and  Constitution :  Therefore, 

It  is  enacted  by  the  general  assembly  as  follows:  So  much  of  the  act  entitled  "An 
act  for  the  establishment  of  a  college  or  university  within  this  colony,"  passed  at  the 
February  session,  A.  D.  1764,  as  exempts  the  estates,  persons,  and  families  of  the 
president  and  professors  of  said  institution,  now  known  as  Brown  University,  from 
taxation,  is  hereby  repealed. 

In  the  house  there  was  a  spirited  debate  on  this  act,  and  it  was  voted 
to  refer  the  matter  to  the  committee  on  the  judiciary,  with  instructions 


144        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

that  the  subject  be  presented  to  the  corporation  of  the  university.  The 
final  act,  as  below  given,  will  indicate  the  next  succeeding  steps  and 
the  compromise  which  was  adopted. 

The  corporation  referred  to  the  fact  that  the  legislature  proposed  to 
frets  from  taxation  property  under  the  value  of  $10,000,  belonging  to 
the  academic  staff;  that  the  institution  had  been  created  to  promote 
liberal  education,  and  had  been  maintained  solely  by  private  benefac- 
tions ;  that  the  greatest  good  could  be  accomplished  by  maintenance 
of  cordial  relations  between  the  university  and  the  State,  and  that  the 
action  of  the  assembly  was  based  on  the  event  of  the  assent  of  the 
corporation.  In  accordance  with  these  statements  the  following  reso- 
lution was  passed  by  the  corporation : 

It  is  hereby  voted  and  declared  by  the  corporation  of  Brown  University  that,  being 
authorized  by  the  president  and  professors  of  said  university,  this  corporation  does, 
in  behalf  of  the  president  and  professors  and  in  behalf  of  said  corporation,  consent 
to  said  act  passed  by  the  general  assembly  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  at  its  present 
session  as  aforesaid. 

This  compromise  effected  an  amicable  settlement  of  this  vexed  ques- 
tion, and  was  considered  by  each  side  to  be  fair.  It  did  much  to  remove 
any  prejudice  which  was  beginning  to  arise  on  the  part  of  the  people 
against  the  college. 

AGRICULTURAL   LANDS. 

In  1862  the  college  funds  were  increased  to  the  extent  of  $50,000 
through  the  acceptance  of  the  agricultural  lands,  as  they  were  called. 
These  were  lands  of  which  the  income  was  to  be  devoted  to  u  Endow- 
ment, support,  and  maintenance  of  at  least  one  college,  where  the  lead- 
ing object  shall  be,  without  excluding  other  scientific  and  classical 
studies,  and  including  military  tactics,  to  teach  such  branches  of  learn- 
ing as  are  related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  in  such  manner 
as  the  legislatures  of  the  States  may  respectively  prescribe,  in  order  to 
promote  the  liberal  and  practical  education  of  the  industrial  classes  in 
the  several  pursuits  and  professions  of  life." 

The  State  legislature  made  the  proper  application,  and  the  propor- 
tionate number,  120,000  acres  (30,000  acres  for  each  Senator  and  Kep- 
resentative  in  Congress  from  the  State  in  question),  fell  to  Rhode  Island. 
They  were  transferred  to  Brown  University  by  the  legislature,  upon 
the  agreement  of  the  corporation  to  fulfill  certain  particulars,  among 
which  were  the  following :  To  provide  a  college  or  department  in  the 
university  where  the  branches  of  learning  relating  to  agriculture  and 
mechanic  arts  could  be  taught.  Also  to  educate  scholars,  each  at  the 
rate  of  $100  per  annum,  to  the  extent  of  the  entire  annual  income  from 
said  proceeds,  subiect  to  the  proviso  as  aforesaid ;  the  governor  and 
secretary  of  state N;O  have  the  right  on  or  before  commencement  day  of 
each  year,  and  in  conjunction  with  the  president  of  the  university,  to 
nominate  candidates  for  vacancies  occurring  in  said  college  or  depart- 
ment. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  145 

The  sale  of  these  lauds  brought  into  the  treasury  of  the  university 
the  sum  of  $50,000. 

In  the  report  of  President  Andrews,  to  the  corporation  for  1890,  there 
appears  the  following  sentiment  regarding  the  agricultural-fund: 

The  attention  of  the  corporation  is  invited  to  the  agricultural  fund  of  $50,000, 
which  originated  from  the  sale  of  the  land  scrip  donated  to  the  State  of  Rhode 
Island  hy  act  of  Congress.  July  2,  1862,  and  to  Brown  University  by  an  act  of  the 
Rhode  Island  general  assembly  in  January,  1863.  Although  decisions  by  the 
highest  courts  in  the  land  are  to  the  effect  that  this  money  actually  belongs  to  us 
and  not  to  the  State,  yet  uo\v  that  Rhode  Island  has  its  own  college  devoted  to 
agricultural  studies,  it  seems  to  me  both  just  and  wise  to  let  the  State,  whence  we 
derived  it,  receive  it  back.  Being  applied  in  the  \vay  of  scholarships,  it  affords  no 
sustenance  to  our  teaching  staff — the  reverse,  rather,  since  it  is  ours  only  on  condi- 
tion that  we  maintain  a  course  in  agriculture,  which  would  otherwise,  however 
desirable,  not  be  strictly  necessary.  Much  as  this  fund  has  enlarged  our  ability  to 
aid  students,  we  shall  manage  to  get  on  without  it ;  while  the  relinquishment  of  it 
can  not  but  affect  favorably  the  name  and  influence  of  the  University  throughout 
this  State.  Should  the  gift  be  refunded,  it  might  be  well  to  stipulate  that  all  the 
worthy  men  upon  the  foundation  at  the  time  remain  its  beneficiaries  till  their  grad- 
uation. 

Such  being  the  opinion  of  the  president,  a  committee  was  chosen  to 
consider  the  question,  and  report  to  the  corporation  at  its  meeting  in 
September,  1890. 

The  committee  011  the  return  of  the  agricultural  fund  reported  that 
while  the  university  was  under  certain  obligations  to  the  State,  it  had 
not  come  under  any  obligation  to  the  United  States  by  the  acceptance 
of  the  sum,  which  would  make  it  improper  to  return  it  to  the  State 
without  the  National  Government's  consent.  The  committee  therefore 
thinks  it  will  be  the  part  of  wisdom  and  good  policy  for  the  corporation 
to  make  the  return  providing  it  can  be  made  on  such  terms  as  will 
be  proper  and  satisfactory  and  as  will  relieve  the  corporation  from 
further  duties  and  obligations  in  the  matter. 

CHEMICAL   LABORATORY. 

As  the  college  had  been  adding  to  the  facilities  in  the  departments 
of  the  arts  and  sciences,  a  laboratory  for  chemistry  was  needed.  In 
18G2  a  building  for  such  a  purpose  was  erected,  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  Nathaniel  P.  Hill,  who  obtained  subscriptions  to  the  amount 
of  $14,250.  The  credit  of  the  plans  without  and  the  arrangements 
within  are  due  to  Prof.  Hill.  He  had  visited  some  of  the  best  labo- 
ratories in  the  State  and  had  given  much  attention  to  the  department 
of  science.  The  building  was  well  adapted  for  its  uses  and  has  served 
as  a  model  for  other  institutions  which  have  been  seeking  one  of  a  sim- 
ilar nature,, 

PROFESSOR   DUNN. 

During  the  latter  part  of  this  period  occurred  the  death  of  Prof. 
Dunn,  who,  for  the  last  sixteen  years,  had  occupied  the  chair  of  rhetoric 
1123  R  i 10 


146        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

and  English  literature.  Prof.  Diimm,  in  a  discourse  which  he  delivered 
on  Prof.  Dunn,  called  him  a  Christian  scholar.  Too  often  chief  impor- 
tance is  attached  to  what  is  taught  rather  than  to  the  ability  and 
influence  of  the  teacher.  Such  was  the  opinion  of  Prof.  Diman,  who 
of  him, 


I  am  inclined  to  estimate  his  success  and  usefulness  as  an  instructor,  yet  I  am  not 
sure  that,  after  all,  one  of  the  chief  advantages  which  his  pupils  derived  from  con  tact 
with  him  was  the  inestimable  privilege  of  being  so  long  and  so  familiarly  associated 
with  such  a  polished  gentleman. 

It  is  fitting,  therefore,  that  in  the  history  of  the  university  he  loved  so 
well  particular  tribute  should  be  paid  to  him.  He  was  graduated  from 
Brown  at  the  age  of  little  more  than  18,  and  secured  the  highest  honors 
of  the  class.  For  the  two  years  succeeding  1844  he  gave  instruction  in 
French  at  the  university.  Three  years  were  devoted  to  study  at  the 
theological  seminary  at  Princeton,  where  he  excelled  as  a  Hebrew 
scholar.  In  1848  he  had  a  parish  in  Caniden,  and  from  there,  in  1851, 
received  a  call  to  the  professorship  of  rhetoric  and  English  literature 
at  Brown.  To  this  position  he  brought  an  ability  in  the  languages 
and  a  love  for  his  work.  He  was  a  man  of  great  conscientiousness; 
hence  in  making  such  a  change  from  the  pulpit  to  a  professorship  he 
was  influenced  by  the  most  serious  convictions. 

Prof.  Dunn  did  not  embrace  a  literary  career  as  a  mere  refuge  from  irksome  obli- 
gations. He  relinquished  the  ministry  with  profound  regret,  and  often  looked  back 
upon  it  with  longing  eyes.  It  was  evident  to  all  that  he  did  not  enter  upon  his  new 
position  enamored  of  that  lettered  ease,  which,  with  too  many,  is  the  chief  recom- 
mendation of  a  literary  life.  Still  less  did  he  look  upon  it  as  a  mere  support,  to  be 
laid  aside  when  some  more  lucrative  employment  should  present  itself. 

The  unconscious  influence  of  a  man  like  him  upon  the  students  was 
impressive,  how  impressive  they  never  knew  till,  without  the  spell  of 
its  quiet  and  calm,  they  could  reflect  and  then  feel  its  loss. 

He  was  not  one  of  those  supreme  natures  that  grasp  and  hold  ;  he  rather  by  his 
genial  and  subtle  contact  unconsciously  insinuated  into  others  something  of  his  own 
refinement,  so  that  perhaps  he.  really  shaped  them  most  when  they  seemed  least  sub- 
ject to  his  sway. 

Perhaps  no  better  outline  of  the  man,  or  marked  characteristic  of 
Prof.  Dunn,  could  be  given  than  in  the  words  again  of  Diinan  : 

Disposition  as  well  as  duty  made  him  a  purely  academic  man.  Simple  in  his 
habits,  and  with  no  expensive  tastes  save  a  pardonable  craving  for  the  best  editions 
of  the  best  authors,  he  was  satisfied  with  his  moderate  stipend,  and  no  outside  inter- 
ests ever  chilled  his  zeal  in  his  proper  work.  With  this  work  nothing  was  ever 
allowed  to  interfere.  Early  and  late  it  filled  his  thoughts.  It  pursued  him  in  the 
seasons  set  apart  for  rest  and  relaxation,  and  often  called  him  back  in  the  heat  of 
summer,  and  when  his  colleagues  were  yet  oblivious  of  all  college  cares,  to  direct, 
through  weary  days  and  sleepless  nights,  the  laborious  preparations  for  commence- 
ment. It  was  characteristic  of  the  man  that  he  left  full  directions  for  the  day  which 
he  did  not  live  to  witness. 

Of  books  his  favorite  was  Bacon's  Essays.  On  Sunday  he  would 
read  the  Christian  Year,  and  always  the  Collect.  Thackeray  had  for 
him  a  peculiar  charm,  and  when  tired,  he  would  find  amusement  in  the 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  147 

mirth-provoking  pages  of  Pickwick.  He  was  a  man  of  simple,  unaf- 
fected faith.  "  He  entered  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  as  a  little  child,  and 
the  simple  unquestioning  faith  of  childhood  he  never  lost."  In  a  man 
of  scholarly  attainment  it  is  always  a  pleasure  to  note  a  broad  outlook 
and  a  catholicity  of  view.  "As  his  experience  became  richer,  his  sym- 
pathies became  more  enlarged.  The  longer  he  lived  the  less  he 
regarded  what  is  outward  and  accidental,  the  more  what  is  inward  and 
essential." 

In  concluding  the  sketch  of  the  life  of  Prof.  Dunn,  we  may  quote  the 
eulogy  paid  to  cultured  scholarship  so  characteristic  of  him: 

But  the  culture  of  Prof.  Dunn,  whether  displayed  in  his  conversation  or  in  his 
style,  derived  its  peculiar  charm  from  its  inseparable  connection  with  himself.  Ifc 
was  not,  as  with  so  many,  a  mere  external  varnish ;  it  permeated  the  whole  man. 
To  this  was  duo  its  delightful  simplicity,  and  its  constant  growth.  Because  it  was 
so  vital  it  was  so  assimilative.  With  his  unusual  versatility  of  talent  he  might  have 
become  a  superficial,  showy  scholar;  but  no  man  was  ever  farther  from  mere  display 
of  parts.  The  impression  of  learning  that  he  made  was  never  disproportioned  to  his 
solid  acquisitions.  On  subjects  respecting  which  ho  was  but  moderately  informed, 
he  rarely  ventured  an  opinion.  When  he  spoke  it  was  of  things  that  he  understood 
and  his  judgment  was  almost  Avithout  appeal.  His  easy  mastery  of  all  matters  that 
he  allowed  himself  to  handle,  the  rapid  flow  of  his  ideas,  the  variety  and  pertinence 
of  his  illustrations,  were  proofs  of  a  full  mind  and  of  a  culture  intrinsic  and  unaf- 
fected. In  this  respect  Prof.  Dunn  realized  a  type  of  scholarship  but  seldom  wit- 
nessed in  this  country.  He  resembled  rather  the  fine  products  of  the  English  univer- 
sities, those  ancient  seats  whose  centuries  of  traditional  refinement  soften  the  very 
air  that  sighs  through  their  dreamy  quadrangles.  With  us  scholarship  is  valued 
in  proportion  as  it  is  directly  practical.  It  must  concern  itself  with  living  interests 
to  win  the  respect  of  men.  Wo  need  a  serener  social  life,  a  fuller  emancipation  from 
material  interests,  to  make  culture  loved  for  its  own  sake.  But  if,  as  Matthew 
Arnold  claims,  sweetness  and  light  compose  the  highest  culture,  this  child  of  our 
training  would  not  have  lacked  admission  to  the  inner  circles  of  English  academic 
life.  To  borrow  another  phrase  from  the  scholar  I  have  just  quoted,  Prof.  Dunn  had 
the  "note  of  urbanity."  How  easily  would  he  have  mingled  with  the  fellows  of  an 
Oxford  college;  how  congenial  to  his  nature  that  still  air  of  study;  how  nimbly 
would  his  wit  have  played  in  the  encounters  of  the  common  room. 

The  faculty  in  their  minutes  expressed  a  profound  sense  of  the  loss 
which  they  sustained  in  the  deprivation  of  his  strength  and  usefulness, 
and  paid  a  tribute  to  his  fidelity,  scholarship,  and  character. 

Eeviewing  the  administration  of  Dr.  Sears,  we  have  seen  that  the 
first  decade  extended  through.'  the  financial  crisis  of  1857  and  the  civil 
war  5  yet  there  was  progress.  A  laboratory  for  chemistry  had  been 
built  by  liberal  citizens  of  Providence;  a  system  of  scholarships  had 
been  established  5  the  relation  between  the  State  and  the  municipality 
had  been  made  cordial  by  wise  concessions  regarding  the  matter  of 
taxation;  a  debt  of  $25,000  had  been  met  and  additions  had  been  made 
to  the  college  funds.  The  new  system  had  been  modified,  so  that  the 
three  years'  course  for  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts  had  been  aban- 
doned, and  the  degree  was  now  bestowed  at  the  end  of  a  four  years' 
course.  The  increased  opportunities  for  a  practical  education  were 
still  afforded. 


148        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

PRESIDENT  CASWELL,  1868-1872. 

Dr.  Alexis  Caswell  succeeded  Dr.  Sears,  who  had  been  appointed 
agent  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Peabody  Educational  Fund.  He  was 
elected  to  the  presidency  in  February,  1868,  and  in  the  same  month 
assumed  the  duties  of  the  office.  The  years  of  his  presidency  were 
characterized  by  no  special  addition  to  the  equipment,  but  were  rich  in 
the-  personality  which  Dr.  Caswell  brought  to  the  spiritual  and  intel- 
lectual prosperity  of  the  college.  He  had  been  long  identified  with  the 
college  before  he  was  called  to  the  position  of  president,  and  had  been 
associated  with  Wayland,  who  had  accomplished  so  much  for  the  cause 
of  higher  education,  so  that  Dr.  Caswell  was  thoroughly  conversant 
with  the  personnel  of  the  college. 

Dr.  Caswell  was  born  of  parents  of  Puritan  stock,  and  from  them 
inherited  the  sterling  qualities  of  that  race  5  but  these  traits  were  soft- 
ened by  his  genial  and  sunny  disposition.  He  was  one  to  attract  and 
hold  men  by  the  charm  of  his  manner.  Some  of  his  life-long  friendships 
were  made  while  a  student  by  the  powsr  which  he  seemed  to  possess 
of  drawing  to  him  those  who  were  congenial. 

His  youthful  training  was  such  as  to  develop  a  character  of  sturdy 
and  manly  independence.  His  father  was  a  New  England  farmer.  He 
was  kept  at  school  during  the  winter,  and  in  the  winter  evenings,  when 
the  children  would  gather  about  the  fire,  the  father  would  quiz  them 
on  what  they  were  learning  at  school  and  would  also  set  them  problems 
in  mathematics. 

By  sush  methods  his  intellectual  progress  was  stimulated,  and  his 
ambition  was  aroused  for  more  advanced  study. 

He  was  obliged  to  walk  a  distance  of  5  miles  each  day  to  and  from 
school,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  this  intercourse  with  the  various 
phases  of  nature  in  his  daily  walks  aroused  in  him  that  interest  which 
he  afterwards  developed  in  the  sciences. 

He  was  prepared  for  college  at  Taunton  and  entered  the  university 
in  1818.  He  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  of  the  class.  At  col- 
lege he  had  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  athletes,  and  was 
remembered  for  his  social  qualities.  But  while  very  fond  of  all  inter- 
course with  his  fellows  he  did  not  allow  such  fondness  to  interfere  with 
the  purpose  for  which  he  had  come  to  college,  nor  did  his  popularity 
ever  bring  any  tarnish  upon  his  good  name. 

It  was  his  determination  to  study  for  the  ministry,  but  he  accepted 
an  appointment  to  a  tutorship  in  the  Columbian  College,  Washington, 
D.  C.  He  went  there  in  1823,  and  received  the  appointment  of  pro- 
fessor in  1825,  so  acceptably  did  he  fulfill  the  duties  of  his  position. 
He  held  the  professorship  of  ancient  languages.  In  1827,  having 
resigned  this  professorship,  he  returned  to  New  England  j  but  in  the 
tall,  in  company  with  Prof.  Cliace  he  went  to  Halifax  to  assist  in 
the  formation  of  a  Baptist  church.  As  a  result  of  this  trip  lie  was 
ordained  pastor  of  the  church  which  had  just  been  formed.  His  inin- 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  149 

istry  here  continued  from  month  to  month;  but  in  1828  he  had  a  call 
to  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Providence.  Yery  soon  after  he  returned 
to  Providence  he  was  offered  the  professorship  of  mathematics  and 
natural  philosophy  in  Brown  University.  This  offer  he  accepted.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  academic  staff  of  the  college  till  1863,  when  he 
resigned  the  position.  In  1850  the  chair  which  he  held  was  changed  to 
that  of  mathematics  and  astronomy,  and  it  was  to  this  latter  branch  of 
the  sciences  that  he  seemed  to  find  himself  most  strongly  drawn.  Not 
only  did  he  conduct  the  instruction  in  these  branches  at  the  university, 
but  he  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  in  astronomy  at  the  Smithsonian 
Institution.  His  rank  as  a  scientist  made  him  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  on  the  establishment  of  the 
National  Academy  of  Sciences  by  Congress  in  1863,  he  was  selected  by 
the  Government  as  one  of  the  50  men  of  science  in  the  United  States 
to  be  the  corporators. 

THE   MAN   AND    TEACHER. 

Prof.  Caswell  was  an  earnest  and  laborious  searcher  for  truth,  and  in  the 
honors  that  were  paid  him  as  a  scientist  may  be  seen  the  appreciation 
of  his  success.  The  following  reminiscence  which  was  presented  in  the 
commemorative  discourse  will  sketch  a  picture  of  him  as  a  teacher  and 
as  a  man : 

Prof.  C  as  well's  power  of  communicating  knowledge  as  a  teacher  was  not  fully 
equal  to  his  faculty  of  acquiring  it  as  a  student  and  a  scholar.  He  made  the  impres- 
sion upon  his  classes  as  being  a  professor  in  his  sciences,  able  and  learned,  and 
imparting  his  abundant  and  well-ordered  knowledge  with  ready  speech  and  ample 
illustration;  but  ho  did  not  so  much  excel  as  a  teacher  in  stimulating  the  minds  of 
his  pupils  and  in  molding  their  intellectual  character.  If  my  revered  instructor  were 
listening  to  me  now — and  I  confess  I  have  all  the  while  the  thought  that,  though 
invisible,  he  is  yet  one  of  my  hearers — I  think  he  would  not  chide  me  for  saying 
that  he  did  not  always  hold  us  to  so  strict  an  account  for  the  vigorous  action  of  our 
minds  upon  our  tasks;  and  that  sometimes,  in  his  own  thorough  interest  in  his  sub- 
jects, he  would  be  drawn  away  by  a  certain  class  of  questions  into  excursions  of 
remark  somewhat  remote  from  the  educating  province  of  the  hour ;  but  certainly 
we  should  all  say  that  these  excursions  were  always  interesting  and  useful,  though 
perhaps  most  enjoyed  by  men  in  the  class  who  were  least  ambitious  of  opportunities 
to  recite.  But  how  ready  he  always  was  with  ability  and  resources  to  meet  the  real 
wants  of  pupils  who  were  willing  and  resolved  to  learn;  and  how  patient  and  con- 
siderate with  those  whom  nature  had  not  blessed  with  mathematical  endowments. 
And  I  think  that  he  showed  his  good  sense  as  well  as  his  kindness  in  treating  with 
indulgence  such  men  in  the  class  as  had  to  study  the  mathematics,  even  in  spite  of 
nature  and  their  stars. 

Those  ingenious  devices  and  inventions  in  the  classroom,  which,  among  students, 
belonged  to  the  "  idols  of  their  tribe,"  never  seemed  to  disturb  Prof.  Caswell. 
He  saw  and  knew  them,  and  often  when  their  authors  were  least  aware  of  it,  but  he 
did  not  always  visit  them  with  animadversion;  as  Tacitus  says  of  Agricola,  omuia 
scire,  non  omnia  exseqid;  often  he  disposed  of  them  with  a  judicious  pleasantry,  which 
was  generally  quite  efficient;  but  in  more  serious  cases,  the  look  of  that  benignant 
eye  and  troubled  face,  resting  upon  the  offender,  was  a  severer  censure  than  the 
gravest  lecture  from  a  man  of  more  austere  nature.  He  could  rebuke,  however,  if 


150        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

need  bo,  and  that  with  severity,  too,  hut  it  was  a  rebuke  that  came  from  the  heart; 
you  felt  that  it  was  made  in  the  interest  of  truth;  it  stirred  11  >  hard  feeling,  and  left 
no  stinging  remembrance,  as  when  one  is  pierced  by  an  arrow  of  censure  which  Iris 
been  tipped  with  satire;  in  short,  it  was  a  moral  rebuke,  and  wrought  its  wholes  .>.m 
moral  effect.  Indeed,  in  the  class  room  and  in  all  the  interior  discipline  of  college, 
a^argc  part  of  which  devolved  upon  him,  a  chief  source  of  his  success  was  in  his  lino 
personal  character.  You  never  felt  as  a  student  that  he  held  only  official  relations 
to  you;  ho  never  met  you  with  professional  stateliness  or  reserve;  the  man  in  him 
was  far  moro  and  better  than  the  mere  professor,  the  man  of  large  heart,  of  generous 
sympathies  and  warm  affections;  as  you  came  into  his  lecture  room  or  study,  you 
felt  that  you  were  in  the  air  of  a  genial  humanity,  in  a  friendly,  humane  presence. 
that  inspired  your  confidence  and  awakened  your  love.  An  unspeakable  blessing  it 
is  for  a  young  man  in  his  college  days  to  have  such  a  teacher  ever  moving  before  him 
and  near  him,  and  insensibly  instilling  into  his  developing  nature  and  life  the  line 
virtues  of  a  true  character;  whose  words  of  counsel  and  warning,  of  admonition  and 
encouragement,  are  not  drawn  out  from,  a  sense  of  official  duty,  but  flow  forth 
spontaneously  from  a  living  fountain  of  goodness  and  kindness  of  heart.  I  can  recall 
an  instance  of  his  personal  influence;  how  he  quite  won  the  heart  of  a  student,  \vho, 
in  his  first  college  term  was  summoned  homo  by  the  tidings  of  his  father's  sudden 
illness,  and  reached  the  door  where  ho  had  gone  out  only  two  months  before  with 
that  father's  blessing  upon  his  head,  now  only  to  join  the  procession  that  was  bear- 
ing him  to  the  grave.  When  that  youth  came  back  to  college,  the  first  great  grief 
of  his  life  heavy  on  his  heart,  Prof.  Caswcll  came  directly  to  see  him  at  his  room, 
which  was  next  to  his  own,  and  spoke  to  him  in  those  low  tones  of  his  such  com- 
forting words  the  fatherless  boy  felt  rising  in  him  the  hope  that  he  had  a  teacher 
near  by  him  who  might  be  his  paternal  friend;  and  such  I  have  reason  to  know 
he  was  and  has  been  through  a  long  series  of  subsequent  years ;  and  in  turn  there 
has  been  cherished  for  him  in  a  grateful  heart,  a  reverent  filial  love. 

PROFESSIONAL    SERVICES. 

It  is  ever  true  that  men  of  liberal  education  are  interested  in  more 
than  merely  concerns  their  round  of  professional  duties.  They  touch 
men  at  many  points,  aiid  they  honor  the  college  by  using  the  culture 
and  knowledge  there  obtained  for  their  fellow  men  who  are  outside 
the  academic  walls.  Quoting  again  from  the  commemorative  dis- 
course : 

But  Dr.  Caswell  was  more  than  an  academic  man;  within  no  seclusion  of  learned 
study  could  such  a  nature  and  character  as  his  have  been  content  to  dwell.  He  was 
born  for  companionship  with  his  kind ;  he  loved  the  light  and  air  of  the  world  of 
human  life,  and  his  sympathies  ran  forth  and  touched  it  with  living  contact  on 
every  side.  Ho  belonged  to  this  community  no  less  than  to  the  university;  and  ho 
watched  and  followed,  as  with  a  personal  concern,  its  fortunes  and  affairs.  There 
is  hardly  an  institution  among  us,  established  for  the  promotion  of  general  intelli- 
gence, or  for  the  relief  of  suffering  and  want,  or  for  the  moral  and  religious  eleva- 
tion of  the  people,  in  which  ho  has  not  borne  a  leading  part,  either  in  its  origin  or 
in  its  after  history.  Ho  was  one  of  the  pioneers,  in  counsel  and  labor,  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  our  system  of  public  instruction,  and  was,  for  many  years,  a  member  of  the 
school  committee.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  friends  of  the  Providence  Athenajuni, 
and  for  eight  years  was  one  of  the  board  of  directors,  and  for  eight  years  more  was 
vice-president  of  the  institution.  Ho  was  one  of  the  original  trustees  of  the  Rhode 
Island  Hospital,  and  a  member  of  the  building  committee. 

It  was  under  his  auspices  that  the  present  Alumni  Association  was  formed ;  and 
he  was  unanimously  elected  as  its  first  president.  As  president  of  the  college,  he 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  151 

proved  himself  to  be  fitted  to  administer  its  affairs,  in  a  somewhat  peculiar  crisis  of 
its  history,  to  unite  more  closely  its  friends,  and  to  set  it  forward  in  a  new  career 
of  prosperity.  Under  his  presidency,  its  resources  were  enlarged  and  new  depart- 
ments of  study  were  organized  and  provided  with  the  means  of  instruction.  The 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  which  is  becoming  a  valuable  interest  of  the  university, 
owes  its  origin  and  establishment  to  his  well-ordered  plans  and  efforts.  He  admin- 
istered the  presidential  office  in  a  spirit  of  manly  independence,  and  stood  firmly,  at 
whatever  cost  of  personal  convenience  and  personal  interest,  to  the  responsibilities 
which  devolved  upon  him.  To  dwell  upon  the  manner  in  which  ho  conducted  the 
discipline  of  the  college  would  only  be  to  illustrate,  from  a  higher  point  of  view, 
what  I  have  already  said  of  his  career  as  a  professor. 

Iii  1863  he  resigned  his  professorship,  but  in  1808  he  was  called 
again  to  the  academic  circle  as  its  chief,  the  presidency  being  vacant 
on  account  of  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Sears.  As  he  had  been  connected 
with  the  faculty  for  nearly  thirty-six  years,  and  had  sustained  very 
intimate  relations  with  the  two  preceding  presidents,  Wayland  and 
Sears,  he  was  admirably  fitted  to  direct  the  college. 

Said  one  of  the  faculty : 

To  dwell  upon  the  manner  in  which  he  conducted  the  discipline  of  the  college 
would  only  be  to  illustrate,  from  a  higher  point  of  view,  what  I  have  already  said  of 
his  career  as  a  professor.  In  his  intercourse  with  the  students,  he  so  tempered  his 
official  dignity  with  the  courtesy  and  kindness  of  a  friend,  silently  drawing  all  into 
a  reciprocal  relation  of  Christian  gentlemen,  that  ho  was  universally  esteemed  and 
loved. 

CLOSING  DAYS. 

Caswell  acted  as  president  till  1872.  His  resignation  took  effect  in 
June,  at  the  close  of  the  academic  year.  Like  many  others  of  the  fac- 
ulty and  chiefs  who  withdrew  when  still  vigorous,  he  too  did  not  forget 
the  college,  and  was  summoned  to  take  part  in  its  councils.  The  words 
of  Prof.  Lincoln,  recounting  CaswelPs  labors  at  this  time,  may  be  here 
repeated : 

After  his  resignation  of  the  presidency  of  the  university,  Dr.  Caswell  was  granted 
some  remaining  years  of  life,  which,  while  relieved  from  the  pressure  of  daily  official 
cares,  yet  went  on  to  the  last  in  an  uninterrupted  discharge  of  various  duties.  He  had 
reached  old  age,  but  it  was  a  ripe  and  vigorous  one;  it  was  quite  what  Tacitus  calls 
cruda  ac  viridis  senectus;  rather,  I  may  say,  it  quite  corresponded  to  Cicero's  picture 
of  old  age,  in  that  charming  dialogue  which  our  friend  loved  to  read.  It  brought 
no  infirmatives  of  body  or  mind ;  it  withdreAV  from  no  active  pursuits ;  it  gave  exalted 
pleasures  and  occupations;  it  imparted  new  dignity  to  the  countenance  and  more 
weight  to  the  character;  and,  while  it  was  not  far  from  the  earthly  end,  it  opened  all 
the  nearer  visions  of  better  life  to  come.  At  the  meeting  of  the  corporation,  in 
which  he  retired  from  the  presidency,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  and,  in  1875,  a  member  of  the  board  of  fellows ;  so  that  it  was  his  fortune  to 
lend  his  active  cooperation  to  a  third  college  administration.  And  we  have  heard, 
in  this  place,  the  grateful  acknowledgment  of  his  successor,  that  he  was  his  most 
cordial  supporter,  his  trusted  friend,  and  his  confidential  adviser. 

Dr.  Caswell  died  in  the  early  part  of  1877,  and  the  university 
mourned  for  him  as  one  of  her  loyal  sons.  No  more  fitting  close  to 
the  sketch  of  his  administration  can  be  made  than  in  the  classic 


152        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

words    of   Prof.   Lincoln,    at   the   conclusion   of   his   commemorative 
discourse  : 

It  is  good  and  ennobling  to  behold  our  departed  friend  in  those  heavenly  scenes 
whither  he  has  gone,  there  reunited  forever  to  the  associates  and  partners  alike  in 
church  and  college  of  his  glojious  earthly  toils.  If  the  Roman  orator,  unblessed  by 
revelation,  could  break  forth  into  exultant  joy  at  the  prospect  of  departing  to  the 
divine  council  of  souls,  surely,  with  the  vision  He  places  in  our  hearts,  in  Avhoin  life 
and  immortality  have  been  brought  to  light,  we  may  see  His  redeemed  ones  united  in  high 
and  holy  converse  in  the  heavenly  world,  beholding  together  His  glory  and  enjoying 
the  full  felicities  of  His  everlasting  kingdom.  To  that  blest  kingdom  and  its  sweet 
societies,  into  which  entrance  has  been  ministered  to  him,  the  heart  of  one  of  his 
pupils,  who  owes  him  more  than  any  words  of  his  own  can  express,  would  fain  go 
after  him  now  in  filial  salutation,  while  it  cherishes  the  wish  that  his  benediction 
might  rest  upon  this  service,  which,  all  imperfect  as  it  is,  has  yet  been  done  in  sin- 
cerest  honor  of  his  dear  memorj  : 

"  Salve,  care  parens,  alti  nunc  ratheris  hseres, 

Et  fruere  seternis,  qua3  tibi  parta,  bouis ! 
Discipulique  tui  vocem  cognosce  supremam, 

Quac  voluit  memores  omues  esse  tui." 

PRESIDENT  ROBINSON,  1872-1889. 

In  January,  1872,  the  special  business  of  the  corporation  was  the 
election  of  a  president  for  the  university.  The  committee  recommended 
the  name  of  Dr.  E.  G.  Robinson,  who  was  then  president  of  the  Roch- 
ester Theological  Seminary.  He  was  graduated  from  Brown  in  the 
class  of  1838.  Dr.  Robinson  had  been  engaged  in  pastoral  and  educa- 
tional work  and  had  been  successful  in  each.  In  addition  to  the  pres- 
idency, he  held  the  chair  of  intellectual  and  moral  philosophy.  It  was 
a  cause  for  congratulation  that  Dr.  Robinson  had  received  his  academic 
training  under  Dr.  Wayland,  and  it  was  hoped  that  the  methods  so  suc- 
cessfully begun  by  him  would  be  continued  by  his  successor. 

Dr.  Robinson  fulfilled  all  the  traditions  for  the  qualifications  of  the 
presidency  of  Brown.  He  came  from  an  institution  with  which  he  had 
been  identified  since  its  organization,  so  that  he  was  a  man  of  experi- 
ence as  well  as  of  scholarship. 

His  purpose  may  be  seen  from  the  speech  which  he  made  to  the 
alumni  at  the  commencement  of  1872 : 

GENTLEMEN  AND  BRETHREN  OF  THE  ALUMNI:  I  hardly  kuo\v  why  I  am  here; 
but  I  have  come  gladly  and  with  all  my  heart.  I  have  come  for  earnest  work.  Our 
dear  old  mother  has  said,  "Come  home,"  and  I  have  come.  I  have  come  to  prove 
myself  a  loyal  son  of  dear  old  Brown.  I  have  come  with  a  reverence  for  the  asso- 
ciations which  gather  about  this  institution.  I  propose  to  work  in  the  same  line  in 
which  my  predecessors  have  worked;  but  I  am  not  forgetful  of  the  fact  that  great 
progress  has  been  made  and  is  rapidly  making.  A  college  of  this  day  can  not  afford 
to  stand  where  a  college  stood  twenty-five  years  ago.  The  times  not  only  have 
changed,  but  they  are  changing  more  rapidly  than  we  are  aware,  till  we  stop  and 
look  back.  I  have  come  from  teaching  what  is  understood  to  be  one  of  the  dryest 
and  most  uninteresting  of  studies.  I  have  been  a  teacher  of  theology.  I  do  not 
propose  to  bring  what  belongs  to  a  theological  seminary  to  a  college.  College 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  153 

methods  are  passing  through  a  very  rapid  transition.  There  is  no  help  for  it. 
Physical  science  must  he  recognized  in  all  its  varied  departments.  It  is  impossible 
that  Brown  University  should  stand  still  and  not  open  every  conceivable  avenue  to 
its  students  in  natural  history  and  every  department  of  natural  science.  There  is 
at  this  time  no  successful  work  in  teaching  that  does  not  recognize  physical  science 
at  every  step.  We  must  do  it  here.  And  in  so  saying,  we  are  not  going,  I  trust,  to 
lose  sight  of  linguistic  pursuits,  and  I  for  one,  do  not  propose  to  lose  sight  of  the 
studies  of  mental  and  moral  philosophy.  Physical  science,  to-day,  is  mixed  up  in 
all  its  various  departments,  with  metaphysical  and  moral  science,  and  it  is  impossi- 
ble that  we  should  separate  them.  They  constitute  parts  of  the  grand  curriculum. 
And,  after  all,  I  am  satisfied  that  education  which  does  not  round  out  a  man  intel- 
lectually and  morally  is  an  education  which,  for  this  age  is  ineffectual. 

SLATER    HALL. 

Iii  1879  an  addition  was  made  to  the  college  buildings  by  the  erection 
of  Slater  Hall,  so  named  in  honor  of  the  giver,  Mr.  Horatio  N.  Slater. 
This  hall  is  situated  between  Ehode  Island  and  University  halls,  and 
is  used  for  a  dormitory.  Being  the  newest  of  the  three  dormitories  it 
was  furnished  with  all  the  modern  appliances.  Nearly  all  the  rooms 
are  in  suites  of  three.  The  growth  of  the  college  had  necessitated  such 
a  building,  so  that  its  gift  by  Mr.  Slater  was  very  timely. 

The  gift  was  of  additional  interest  because  made  by  a  citizen  of  the 
State,  a  fact  indicating  that  the  citizens  of  the  State  delight  to  honor 
a) id  advance  her  university. 

SAYLES    MEMORIAL    HALL. 

The  devotion  and  self-sacrifice  of  the  founders  of  an  institution  are 
entitled  to  their  full  share  of  praise,  and  justly.  Conscious  that  they 
will  be  unable,  in  all  probability,  to  see  the  results  of  their  labor,  they 
must  work  for  future  generations  to  appreciate  and  build  upon  the 
foundations  which  they  have  laid. 

When,  therefore,  the  future  years  have  demonstrated  how  well  the 
foundation  Avas  laid  and  how  wise  was  the  early  policy  of  the  college, 
it  is  gratifying  to  record  that  the  present  generation  recognizes  its  alle- 
giance to  the  wisdom  of  the  past  and  delights  to  assist  in  the  growth 
of  the  institution. 

Gifts  of  buildings  and  the  endowments  of  professorships  indicate  a 
sense  of  gratitude  to  the  alma  mater  and  a  recognition  that  the  insti- 
tution is  worthy  of  honor. 

Sayles  Memorial  Hall  was  the  third  building  received  by  the  uni- 
versity during  this  administration.  The  building  was  a  memorial  by  the 
father,  Mr.  William  F.  Sayles,  to  the  memory  of  his  son,  who  would 
have  graduated  in  1878  had  his  life  been  spared.  The  letter  contain- 
ing the  proposed  gift  was  read  on  the  commencement  day  of  1878 : 

I  have  selected  this  commencement,  when  my  dear  son,  if  living,  would  have  gradu- 
ated, for  the  expression  of  what  I  hope  will  be  regarded  with  favor,  in  order  that 
when  his  classmates  are  conferring  credit  on  their  alma  mater  his  brief  life  may  also 
not  be  without  a  beneficial  influence  on  the  institution  he  loved  so  well.  - 


154        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

The  Memorial  Hall  was  begun  in  1879  and  dedicated  June  4,  1881. 
Itis  on  tlie  middle  campus  between  Wilson  Hall  and  the  chemical  labora- 
tory. The  architecture  is  Romanesque,  and  the  building  is  cruciform. 
The  exterior  is  ornate  and  the  inscription  in  front,  Filio  Pater  Posuit 
MQCCCLXXX,  indicates  the  occasion  of  the  structure.  In  the  vesti- 
bule is  a  bronze  tablet  to  the  son,  William  Clark  Sayles. 

The  building  is  of  three  stories;  in  the  front  part  are  the  recitation 
rooms,  eight  in  number.  The  rear  contains  the  hall  in  which  are  held 
the  academic  exercises.  The  need  for  such  a  building  had  been  impres- 
sive, and  the  gift  was  most  timely. 

At  the  dedication,  June  4, 1881,  the  address  in  behalf  of  the  building 
committee  and  Mr.  Sayles  was  made  by  Prof.  Lincoln.  After  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  inception  of  the  building,  Prof.  Lincoln  said: 

Tbia  building,  which,  in  its  appointments  and  uses  and  its  surroundings  I  have 
now  briefly  described,  we  gratefully  recognize  to-day  as  the  generous  gift  of  a  new 
benefactor  of  the  college;  placed,  too,  at  once  by  this  gift  in  the  roll  of  its  most 
liberal  benefactors.  Like  others,  long  known  and  venerated,  who  have  gone  before 
him  in  the  good  work  of  endowing  this  university,  our  new  benefactor  is  a  Rhode 
Island  man  by  birth  and  residence  and  lifelong  occupations,  who,  by  the  employ- 
ment of  his  talents  and  skill  and  enterprise  in  those  industrial  pursuits  in  which 
Rhode  Island  has  11  kind  of  hereditary  distinction,  has  acquired  for  himself  an  hon- 
ored name  and  conferred  additional  honor  upon  his  native  State.  Not  himself  a 
graduate  of  the  college,  but  occupied  from  his  early  years  in  the  exigent  cares  and 
labors  of  business  life,  ho  has  generously  come  to  its  aid  from  his  "appreciation," 
as  ho  has  told  us  in  his  letter  to  the  corporation,  "  of  the  higher  education  which  it 
affords,''  and  has  bestowed  upon  it  this  gift  for  the  increase  of  its  efficiency  and  use- 
fulness in  carrying  forward  this  education.  In  no  spirit  of  adulation,  but  of  siu- 
ccrcst  gratitude,  may  wo  all  unite,  as  we  are  assembled  hero  as  members  of  the 
university  and  as  citizens  of  Providence,  in  rendering  our  tribute  of  honor  to  Wil- 
liam Francis  Sayles  for  what  he  has  done  by  the  rearing  of  this  building  for  the 
cause  of  science,  and  letters,  and  education  in  this  college  and  in  this  community. 

President  Robinson  accepted  the  gift  of  the  building  on  the  part  of 
the  corporation.  In  the  concluding  address  Prof.  Gammell  noticed 
the  growth  of  the  college  and  of  the  interest  it  was  holding  in  the 
community. 

Tspeak  to-day  in  the  presence  of  the  governor  of  the  State,  and  that  fact  alone  would 
remind  mo  of  the  relations  which  have  always  existed  between  the  university  and  the 
peoplo  of  Rhode  Island.  It  was  a  great  enterprise  when  certain  citizens  of  Rhode 
Island  in  1763  an  el  1764,  the  year  before  the  stamp  act  threatened  the  struggles  of  the 
colonies  with  the  mother  country,  determined  to  ask  a  charter  for  a  college  or  uni- 
versity of  liberal  education.  There  was  no  project  of  the  time  that  could  have  had 
smaller  promise  of  important  results.  The  charter  was  granted,  but  it  lay  wholly 
unused  for  some  two  years.  The  college  was  at  length  begun  in  the  town  of  War- 
ren, and  was  established  hero  in  1770  by  the  erection  of  University  Hall,  which  was 
paid  for  by  the  contributions  of  the  people  of  Rhode  Island,  very  largely  by  the  people 
of  the  county  of  Providence,  That,  may  it  please  your  excellency,  is  a  fact  in  our 
history  which  I  delight  to  mention  in  your  presence.  That  University  Hall  and 
those  narrow  grounds  remained  scarcely  changed  for  about  fifty  years,  when  Hope 
College  in  1821  was  built  by  that  distinguished  and  most  philanthropic  citizen  of 
Rhode  Island,  Mr.  Nicholas  Brown,  at  his  own  expense,  and  given  to  the  college.  In 
1835  Manning  Hall  was  also  built  by  the  same  gentleman  and  presented  to  the  corpo- 
ration. In  1839  a  subscription  was  begun  for  the  building  of  Rhode  Island  Hall,  for 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  155 

the  building  of  a  new  mansion  for  the  president,  and  for  improving  the  college 
grounds.  That  subscription  was  commenced  and  nearly  half  made;  up  by  tlio  con- 
tribution of  the  same  gentleman,  Nicholas  Brown.  It  was  completed  by  the  contri- 
butions of  the  men  and  women,  of  Rhode  Island  of  that  time.  Some  years  afterwards 
the  Chemical  Hall  was  erected  also  by  the  contributions  of  people  of  Rhode  Island— 
I  may  say  almost  entirely  by  people  of  Providence,  and  very  largely  by  those  who 
resided  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  university.  Then  cnme  yonder  match- 
less Library  Hall,  the  gift  of  Mr.  John  Carter  Brown,  as  provided  in  his  Avill  and 
completed  by  Mrs.  Brown,  to  whom  the  college  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  a  bene- 
faction whicti  was  prompted  by  a  sentiment  such  as  belongs  to  this  which  we  to-day 
receive.  It  was  the  continuation  of  a  work  in  memory  of  her  husband.  After  this 
came  the  building  of  Slater  Hall,  the  gift  also  of  a  Rhode  Island  man,  Mr.  Horatio 
N.  Slater ;  for,  though  he  lives  just  at  present  in  Massachusetts,  we  shall  never  cease 
to  call  him  a  Rhode  Island  man  any  more  than  we  shall  allow  his  family  name  to  be 
blotted  from  Rhode  Island  history. 

And  now  wo  have  this  hall,  our  latest  and  crowning  benefaction,  by  another  citi- 
zen of  Rhode  Island,  completing  the  list  of  eight  halls  that  have  been  erected  by 
people  who  belong  to  this  State.  Nor  is  this  all.  Our  leading  foundations  for  pro- 
fessorships, in  like  manner,  all  were  given  by  citize.is  of  Rhode  Island.  The  first 
was  given  by  Mr.  Nicholas  Brown,  long  ago,  as  the  basis  of  a  professorship  of  ora- 
tory and  belles-lettres;  another  given  by  Mr.  Rowland  G.  Hazard,  as  the  foundation 
of  the  Hazard  professorship  of  physics ;  another,  given  by  Mr.  William  S.  Rogers,  a 
son  of  Rhode  Island,  as  the  foundation  of  the  Newport-Rogers  professorship  of  chem- 
istry ;  another  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Elton,  long  a  professor  here,  and  a  citizen  of  Rhode 
Island  to  the  end  of  his  life,  as  the  foundation  of  a  professorship  as  yet  not  com- 
pleted, of  natural  theology;  another  of  a  lectureship  on  the  fine  arts,  by  Mr.  Mar- 
shall Woods,  and  last  of  all  the  Olney  professorship  of  natural  history,  which  has 
just  been  received  by  the  college.  All  these  halls  and  these  professorships,  one  and 
all,  constituting  the  greatest  benefactions  which  the  university  has  ever  received, 
have  come  from  citizens  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island.  I  do  not  by  any  means  mean 
to  forget,  or  to  show  the  slightest  indifference  to  the  gifts  which  have  come  to  us 
from  beyond  the  limits  of  our  little  territory;  but  it  is  to  the  credit  of  the  State 
and  to  the  credit  of  her  citizens  that  so  much  has  been  clone  by  those  who  have  lived 
just  around  the  college.  And  I  may  add  that  the  State  itself,  by  its  legislature,  has 
appropriated  the  funds  which  were  received  from  the  United  States  for  the  use  of 
the  college,  in  the  agricultural  department.  That,  too,  Mr.  President,  is  to  the  credit — 
very  highly  to  the  credit  of  the  State. 

This  Memorial  Hall  will  now  stand  with  the  others,  the  glory  of  the  college,  and 
also  the  honor  of  the  State — and  I  like  to  link  the  two  together,  for  I  can  not  think 
that  they  are  separable.  What  adds  to  one,  adds  to  the  other;  and  what  takes  from 
one,  takes  from  the  other.  If  the  State  loses  its.  high  character  it  ceases  to  bo  so 
attractive  a  place  for  the  education  of  the  young.  If  the  college  is  not  able  to  fulfill 
its  destiny  the  State  is  less  worthy  and  less  desirable  as  a  place  of  residence  or  a 
home  of  learning.  I  am  not  indifferent  in  any  way  to  the  beautiful  spots  which  our 
State  presents,  whether  upon  inland  streams  or  by  the  shores  of  the  sounding  sea; 
I  am  not  indifferent  to  the  great  works  which  genius  and  capital,  combining  with 
industry,  have  spread  over  all  our  territory,  and  made  it  such  a  hive  of  labor,  and 
given  it  such  a  renown  for  the  beautiful  products  which  it  sends  over  the  world. 
Still  less  am  I  indifferent  to  our  benevolent  institutions— to  our  noble  hospitals,  to 
our  homes  for  neglected  infancy  and  for  wearied  and  exhausted  old  age— but  I  know 
not  where  on  the  soil  of  this  State  the  people  have  more  cause  for  congratulation 
and  pride  than  in  these  few  acres  of  college  grounds  given  by  her  own  citizens,  arid 
covered  with  halls  erected  by  their  munificence,  and  dedicated  to  that  science  which 
is  shaping  the  civilization  of  mankind;  to  that  literature  and  those  studies  so  fitted 
for  the  nurture  of  the  young,  so  fitted  to  adorn  human  character  and  to  dignify 


156        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IX    RHODE    ISLAND. 

human,  life,  and  in  every  way  so  worthy  of  the  civilization  of  which  we  "boast.  As 
'. ;  has  been  in  tho  past,  so  let  it  ho  in  the  future.  Let  it  still  l>o  true  that  the  people 
of  Rhode  Island  shall  be  tho  great  and  leading  supporters  of  the  college;  let  it  ever 
i-o  true,  also,  Mr.  President,  that  the  college  shall  bo  true  and  faithful,  loyal  and 
dovoted  to  the  interests  and  the  fame  of  Rhode  Island. 

s 

THE    LIBRARY. 

The  new  library  building  was  the  first  of  a  series  of  three  erected 
(luring  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Eobinson.  The  second  was  Slater  Hall 
:i nd  the  third  Sayles  Memorial  Hall.  The  library  building  was  the 
<;ift  of  John  Carter  Brown.  The  private  library  which  bears  his  name 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable  for  its  collection  of  Americana,  and  the 
owner  was  always  glad  to  open  it  to  scholars. 

There  are  certain  names  that  are  prominent  in  the  life  of  a  community 
or  an  institution.  But  still  more  worthy  of  note  is  the  fact  that  a 
family  from  generation  to  generation  identities  itself  with  the  highest 
welfare  of  an  institution.  The  changed  name  of  the  university  to 
Brown  University  attests  the  grateful  recognition  of  its  indebtedness 
to  the  family  in  whose  honor  it  has  received  its  name. 

John  Carter  Brown  was  the  son  of  Nicholas  Brown,  who  had  done 
so  much  for  the  college.  He  had  given  books,  money,  buildings,  and 
his  personal  interest.  He  had  founded  the  permanent  library  fund.  He 
had  given  Manning  Hall.  It  was  the  great  uncle  of  John  Carter 
Brown,  who  was  for  twenty-two  years  the  treasurer  of  the  college,  and 
who  was  the  first  to  present  to  the  library  an  important  gift  of  books. 
His  grandfather  was  one  of  the  members  of  the  corporation  in  1764.  It 
will  thus  be  seen  how  closely  allied  to  the  interests  of  the  university 
was  this  family.  With  such  an  example  from  his  ancestors,  to  which 
was  united  a  love  of  letters  on  his  own  part,  John  Carter  Brown  pre- 
sented rare  and  costly  books  to  the  library  of  the  university.  Partic- 
ularly valuable  were  the  collections  of  Italian,  French,  and  German 
books. 

As  has  been  stated  in  the  description  of  the  library  proper,  its  home 
in  Manning  Hall  was  unsuitable,  because  the  building  was  not  fire- 
proof, and  the  arrangements  of  the  room  were  inadequate  and  incon- 
venient. 

February  8,  1860,  Mr.  Brown  subscribed  conditionally  $25,000  for 
the  university.  Of  this  $15,000  was  to  be  used  towards  the  erection 
of  a  fireproof  building  for  the  library.  Previously  he  had  bought  the 
lot  where  the  building  was  erected.  In  1869  the  conditions  of  his 
bequest  of  1860  had  been  fulfilled,  so  that  the  library  fund  was  now 
begun.  Before  the  death  of  Mr.  Brown,  in  1874,  he  gave  the  lot  and 
made  provision  in  his  will  for  the  addition  of  $50,000  to  the  sum  pre- 
viously given  by  him. 

The  corporation  at  once  took  steps  towards  the  erection  of  the  build- 
ing. Messrs.  Alexis  Caswell,  Rowland  Hazard,  and  J.  C.  Hartshorn 
were  elected  to  serve  as  the  library  building  committee.  On  the 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  157 

death  of  Dr.  Caswell,  President  Robinson  was  chosen  to  fill  the 
vacancy.  The  personnel  of  this  committee  was  a  pledge  that  the  work 
intrusted  to  it  would  be  accomplished  so  as  to  insure  the  most  satis- 
factory results.  Work  was  begun  on  the  building  in  1875  and  the 
edifice  was  completed  in  1877.  The  architecture  is  Venetian-Gothic. 
The  situation  on  a  corner  lot,  opposite  the  campus,  makes  an  imposing 
site  and  affords  an  admirable  setting  for  this  treasure  house.  The 
interior  of  the  building  has  been  described  in  connection  with  the 
working  of  the  library.  When  dedicated  the  library  contained  nearly 
50,000  volumes,  now  placed  in  a  building  in  which  the  only  wood  con- 
struction is  that  of  the  shelves.  Four  inscriptions  were  placed  on  the 
walls,  commemorating  the  benefactions  of  the  donor  of  the  building, 
the  change  of  the  name  of  the  college,  the  erection  of  the  building 
under  the  care  of  the  corporation, 'and  an  extract  from  the  Vulgate. 
The  inscriptions  are  placed  in  the  north,  west,  east,  and  south  panels, 

respectively : 

JOHANNES  CARTER  BROWN 

NATUS  A.  D.  MDCCXCVII 

VlVUS  HUJUS  BlBLIOTHECJE  FACTOR 

MORIENS  ADHUC  MEMOR 

HUNC  LOCUM 
PECUNIAMQUE  Huic  AEDIFICIO  STRUENDO 

TESTAMENTO  LEGAVIT. 
OBIIT  A.  D.  MDCCCLXXIV. 


COLLEGIUM  INSULT  RHODIENSIS 

A.  D.  MDCCLXIV  CONDITUM 

PROPTER  LIBERALITATEM  NICOLAI  BROWN 

AB  EJUS  NOMINE  APPELATUM  EST 

UNIVERSITAS  BRUNENSIS 

A.  D.  MDCCCIV. 


Hoc  AEDIFICIUM 
VlRI  EX  COLLEGIO  ACADEMICO  DELECTI 

FACIENDUM  CURAVERUNT. 

A.  D.  MDCCCLXXV  INCEPTIM 

A.  D.  MDCCCLXXVII  FINITUM  EST. 


MELIOR  EST  ENIM  FRUCTUS  MEUS  AURO 

ET  LAPIDE  PRETIOSO 
ET  GEMINA  ME  A  ARGENTO  ELECTO. 

BEATUS  HOMO  Qui  AUDIT  ME 

ET  Qui  VIGLLAT  AD  FORES  MEAS  QUOTIDIE 

ET  OBSERVAT  AD  POSTES  OSTII  MEI. 

Prov.  VIII.— 19,  34. 


158        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

The  total  value  of  the  building  is  $120,000.  Alterations  and  unfore- 
seen expenses  had  brought  the  cost  of  the  building  above  the  amount 
voted  by  the  corporation.  This  additional  expense  was  provided  for 
by  Mrs.  Sophia  Augusta  Brown,  who  desired  this  amount  to  be  added 
to  the  sum  which  her  husband  had  given. 

The  present  facilities  secure  accommodation  for  100,000  volumes,  and 
by  a  few  changes  room  can  be  gained  for  an  additional  50,000.  The 
final  act  of  the  building  committee  was  placing  in  the  library  a  bust 
of  the  donor.  This  was  also  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Brown. 

President  Robinson  said  in  accepting  the  keys: 

This  library  stands  here  an  enduring,  a  most  worthy,  monument  to  the  munificence 
of  its  donor.  It  was  fitting  that  he,  Avho  more  than  all  others  had  enriched  the 
library  of  Brown  University,  should  close  the  long  series  of  his  generous  deeds  by 
•providing  the  means  for  a  structure  that  should  be  at  once  a  safe  repository  and  a 
perpetual  memorial. 

Great  libraries,  it  is  true,  be  they  ever  so  large,  ever  so  select,  do  not  necessarily 
make  either  great  or  good  universities.  A  university  is  made  great,  not  by  its  library, 
not  by  the  number  of  its  students,  not  by  the  multiplicity  of  its  departments  of 
instruction,  but  by  the  character  of  its  instructors  and  the  quality  of  their  work; 
and  the  highest  style  of  work  can  never  be  produced  except  the  instructors  shall 
themselves  bo  instructed  by  the  productions  of  the  best  intellects  that  have  lived. 
A  great  library  is  an  indispensable  adjunct  to  a  great  and  good  university.  Such  a 
library  and  a  building  suited  to  the  best  uses  of  it  are  now  in  the  possession  of  Brown 
University.  When  centuries  shall  have  passed,  and  we,  now  so  full  of  animation, 
have  passed  away  and  been  forgotten,  youthful  and  aspiring  minds  will  come  beneath 
this  roof  eager  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge;  they  will  gaze  upon  the  features  of 
that  bust;  they  will  read  the  inscription  upon  the  uplifted  walls  of  this  dome;  they 
will  catch  the  inspiration  of  great  thoughts  and  worthy  deeds.  The  still  air  of 
delightful  studies  that  will  ever  brood  amid  these  alcoves  will  breed  in  their  youth- 
ful minds  lofty  aspirations;  and  catching  the  inspirations  that  will  come  to  them  from 
these  crowded  shelves  they  will  not  be  unmindful  of  their  predecessors,  and  they 
will  give  thanks  to  God  for  the  inestimable  treasures  that  will  here  be  stored  for 
their  use.  Great  will  be  their  heritage,  and  great,  we  trust,  will  be  in  the  future  the 
results  growing  out  of  the  erection  of  this  building  and  the  filling  it  with  the  best 
productions  of  the  best  minds  of  our  race. 

Honoring,  then,  the  memory  of  him  who  has  given  this  beautiful  and  majestic 
building,  and  thankful  to  the  fast  friends  who  have  enriched  or  now  are  enriching 
the  library  which  is  hero  to  be  stored,  let  us  still  bear  up  and  steer  right  onward. 

PROFESSOR   DIMAN. 

Iii  the  early  part  of  the  year  1881  the  college  was  called  to  mourn  the 
death  of  one  of  the  faculty,  endeared  to  all  who  knew  him — Prof. 
Diman.  His  death  was  a  loss  not  only  to  the  university,  but  to  the 
State.  At  the  close  of  the  memorial  exercises  in  the  assembly,  the 
house  voted  to  adjourn,  a  token  of  respect  seldom  paid  to  a  private 
citizen.  But  Prof.  Diman  was  beloved  by  all  who  came  within  the 
sphere  of  his  presence,  and  admired  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  had 
held  the  chair  of  history  and  political  economy  since  1864. 

Jeremiah  Lewis  Diman  was  born  in  Bristol,  R.  I.,  May  1,  1831.  In 
recounting  the  life  of  a  man,  the  biographer  eagerly  seeks  information 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  159 

regarding  the  parents  and  the  home  life  of  the  youth.  Whence  were 
derived  those  traits  which  made  the  man  the  scholar  or  the  statesman"? 
In  what  environment  was  his  youth  spent? 

It  was  said  that  his  grandfather  was  "peculiarly  mild  in  disposition, 
gentle  in  manners,  and  domestic  in  his  habits.  He  was  a  great  reader, 
with  &  good  memory,  fond  of  investigation  and  argument,  and  was 
deacon  of  the  Catholic  Congregational  Church  for  more  than  twenty 
years.  His  grandmother  was  a  grandniece  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  aiS 
Frances  Franklin,  her  grandmother,  was  sister  of  the  philosopher. 
Diman's  father  was  a  man  of  strong  character,  with  a  fondness  for  anti- 
quarian lore."  His  information  in  matters  of  local  history  was  remark- 
able. He  had  been  elected  to  serve  as  governor  of  the  State  and  was 
held  in  high  esteem  by  his  fellow-citizens.  His  mother  was  character- 
ized as  " exceeding  modest  and  retiring;  it  was  her  only  ambition  to  be 
good  and  to  do  good." 

In  the  words  of  his  biographer,  Miss  Hazard  — 

Of  such  parents,  with  such  an  ancestry  of  pure,  piqus  people,  was  he  born.  In  him 
all  the  virtues  of  the  various  lines  seemed  to  unite.  His  noble  bearing  spoke  of  the 
Puritan;  his  grace  of  manner  of  the  liA'elier  French  blood;  his  philosophic  rnind 
was  the  true  descendant  of  the  first  American  philosopher;  his  tenderness  of  his 
sainted  mother. 

The  anecdotes  of  his  youth  show  that,  although  he  was  fond  of  study, 
he  was  a  true  boy  in  his  delight  for  games  and  sports.  Entering  college 
at  16,  he  soon  gave  indications  of  his  scholarly  mind,  so  that  he  was 
honored  by  all.  While  in  college  he  commenced  a  commonplace  book, 
in  which  he  was  accustomed  to  write  out  tin  analysis  of  what  he  read, 
or  jot  down  his  reflections.  Thus  he  made  his  own  what  he  read, 
and  stored  away  what  in  after  years  he  used  to  such  excellent  advan- 
tage. These  books  show  his  fondness  for  history  and  philosophy.  He 
also  read  extensively  works  of  a  religious  character.  His  tastes  were 
in  the  direction  of  literary  rather  than  scientific  studies.  On  gradua- 
ting he  delivered  the  classical  oration  on  li  The  Living  Principle  of 
Literature." 

It  was  his  intention  to  devote  himself  to  the  study  of  divinity,  after 
a  year's  study  and  intercourse  in  the  home  of  Dr.  Thayer,  of  Newport. 
The  next  two  years  he  spent  at  Andover.  Here  was  formed  a  little 
coterie  of  congenial  spirits,  and  it  was  their  testimony  that  Dinian  was 
the  center  of  it.  His  training  was  further  increased  by  a  study  of  two 
years  in  the  universities  of  Halle,  Berlin,  and  Heidelberg.  It  was  dur- 
ing these  two  years  that  he  came  in  contact  with  the  leading  men  of  the 
universities,  and  that  he  received  great  inspiration  from  galleries  and 
museum.  These  two  years  but  widened  and  deepened  his  own  catholic 
thoughts  and  convictions.  In  1856  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  in 
December  of  the  same  year  he  was  ordained  as  the  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Fall  River.  He  remained  with  this  parish  till  1860.  That  year  he 


160        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

was  married  and  established  liis  home  in  Brook  line  as  the  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church.  Till  1864  he  held  this  charge,  when  he  with- 
drew to  accept  the  chair  of  history  and  political  economy  at  Brown 
University. 

vProf.  Diman  was  now  37.  Trained  in  the  best  methods  of  his  alma 
mater,  to  which  were  added  his  course  of  two  years  at  Andover,  and 
two  years  of  European  travel,  he  was  a  well-rounded  scholar.  In  addi- 
tion to  that,  he  had  been  most  acceptable  as  a  pastor,  a  fact  that  was 
proven  by  the  repeated  calls  he  received  from  leading  churches.  All 
these  facts  conspired  to  make  him  a  professor  with  all  the  noble  traits 
of  the  Christian  gentleman. 

In  addition  to  his  college  duties  he  preached  from  time  to  time.  He 
lectured  before  the  Normal  School  and  the  Friends'  School.  Perhaps 
his  influence  was  as  great  in  connection  with  the  writing  which  lie  did 
for  the  Providence  Journal  from  1866  to  the  close  of  his  life.  A  vigor- 
ous and  scholarly  writer,  he  could  express  himself  as  freely  as  he 
wished.  His  own  idea  of  the  function  of  a  newspaper  will  best  show 
the  spirit  of  the  man : 

The  successful  conduct  of  a  daily  paper,  aiming  to  take  high  rank  as  a  guide  of 
public  opinion,  is  attended  with  peculiar  difficulties,  difficulties  which  our  readers 
can  not  fully  appreciate.  If  we  conceived  that  our  only  function  was  to  wait  on 
public  sentiment  and  echo  the  prevailing  sentiment  around  us,  the  labor  would  be 
greatly  simplified.  But  believing  that  our  readers  look  to  us  for  an  honest  atid 
straightforward  expression  of  our  own  sentiments,  we  can  not  avoid  the  peril  at 
times  of  offending  some  for  whom  we  cherish  the  utmost  respect,  and  of  being  mis- 
understood by  others  upon  whose  good  opinion  we  place  the  highest  value. 

Too  often  the  charge  of  exclusiveness  can  be  brought  against  the 
scholar;  that  he  does  not  let  the  community  have  the  benefit  of  his 
attainments.  But  this  could  never  be  urged  against  Prof.  Diman. 
For  ten  years  he  lectured  at  his  home  to  classes  of  ladies  of  the  city  of 
Providence  on  historical  subjects.  He  was  one  of  the  members  to  draft 
the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Friday  Evening  Club,  which  consisted 
of  but  twelve  members,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  men  not  in  academic 
professions.  He  was  the  life  of  the  club-  Said  one  of  the  members: 

I  may  as  well  give  up  trying  to  translate  that  subtle  charm  of  his  talk,  which  is 
so  easy  and  sweet  to  remember,  and  so  hard  to  put  into  any  fit  description.  The 
silver  resonance  of  that  voice  still  dwells  in  our  ears,  though  it  is  silent  forever. 
That  fine  sarcasm  which  I  see  now  going  down  that  speaking  face,  and  into  his  nose 
and  lips  and  tones;  that  incisive  wit  and  wisdom  which  penetrated  his  very  voice 
and  manner;  that  swift  passage  of  his  mind  and  his  talk  from  grave  to  gay,  from 
lively  to  severe;  that  rich  culture  which  made  his  words,  his  very  manner  of  saying 
anything,  music;  that  calm  power  which  held  listeners  like  a  magnet — it  is  all  like 
water  spilled  on  the  ground,  which  can  not  be  gathered  up  again.  Hardly  a  drop 
of  it,  in  its  fresh  beauty,  have  I  been  able  to  recover;  for  how  great  and  yet  how 
indescribable  the  charm  of  our  friend's  conversation  was. 

He  was  a  contributor  to  the  leading  reviews  and  quarterlies.  He 
pronounced  several  orations,  among  them  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  oration 
at'Ainherst  in  1869,  and  at  Harvard  in  1876.  He  gave  a  course  of 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  161 

lectures  at  the  Lowell  Institute  in  Boston  and  at  the  Johns  Hopkins 
University.     Of  his  manner  as  a  lecturer  President  Oilman  says: 

He  seemed  to  be  talking  to  a  company  of  friends  on  a  subject  of  great  importance, 
which  he  perfectly  understood,  with  an  unhesitating  command,  not  only  of  names 
and  dates,  but  of  exact  epithets  and  discriminating  sentences.  The  ease  with  which 
he  lectured,  under  circumstances  of  very  considerable  difficulty,  was  only  equalled 
by  the  instruction  and  pleasure  he  gave  the  auditors. 

Friday,  January  28,  1881,  Prof.  Diman  delivered  his  last  lecture  to 
the  senior  class  in  history.  There  was  no  suspicion  that  the  pain  in 
his  face  of  which  lie  complained  would  prove  serious.  But  such  was 
the  case,  and  he  died  the  following  Thursday.  The  disease  was  malig- 
nant erysipelas.  The  news  of  his  death  came  with  startling  surprise. 
The  students  looked  at  each  other  with  wondering  eyes  querying  if  it 
were  really  so.  Can  Prof.  Diman  be  dead  ?  The  exercises  in  the  chapel 
on  the  following  morning  were  particularly  impressive,  and  the  entire 
university  showed  by  the  solemnity  and  quiet  their  sense  of  sorrow  at 
the  great  loss  which  it  had  sustained.  Not  only  was  his  alma  mater  a 
mourner,  but  the  city  and  the  State  felt  that  its  favorite  son  had  been 
taken.  So  closely  had  he  identified  himself  with  the  city  and  the  State 
that -on  any  special  occasion  it  was  to  him  that  the  municipal  and  State 
authorities  looked  as  the  man  to  do  honor  to  the  event.  This  he  ever  was 
ready  to  do,  because  he  believed  that  it  was  the  duty  of  the  scholar  to 
keep  in  touch  with  the  community.  The  representative  men  who  gath- 
ered to  pay  the  final  respects  to  the  dead  showed  how  wide  was  the 
circle  of  mourners,  not  only  in  his  own  but  in  other  States.  So  closely 
had  he  identified  himself  with  academic  circles  that  it  was  the  general 
feeling  that  from  the  academy  of  letters  had  gone  one  whose  loss  would 
be  keenly  felt. 

Resolutions  of  respect  and  condolence  were  passed  by  the  assembly, 
the  corporation  of  the  university,  the  chapter  of  the  Psi  Upsilon  of 
which  he  had  been  a  member,  and  the  senior  class. 

Among  all  the  tributes  to  his  memory,  that  by  his  friend,  Prof.  Mur- 
ray, of  Princeton,  has  been  selected  to  conclude  this  sketch  of  Prof. 
Dim  an : 

He  had  been  sought  for  pulpits  in  our  principal  cities  by  reason  of  his  abilities  as 
a  preacher;  for  professorships  in  other  institutions;  repeatedly  by  Harvard  College, 
where  he  was  honored  and  beloved,  as  he  was  honored  and  beloved  here;  sought 
also  for  positions  as  the  head  of  seats  of  learning.  But  our  rejoicing  is  this,  that 
his  work  was  finished  here  in  the  university  of  which  he  had  ever  been  a  filial  SOD, 
in  the  city  which  was  proud  of  him,  in  the  State  which  he  loved,  and  with  whose 
history  he  has  forever  linked  himself. 

He  was  stricken  down  in  the  very  flush  and  bloom  of  his  power  and  plans.  The 
summer  vacation  had  been  delightfully  passed  with  his  family  and  Avith  dear  life- 
long friends  among  the  mountains  and  lakes  and  by  the  sounding  sea.  Recruited 
apparently  by  it,  he  had  gone  partly  through  the  winter's  work.  For  the  first  time 
in  his  life  did  that  work  seem  to  drag  him  along  with  it,  instead  of  being  triumph- 
antly lifted  and  borne  by  him.  Disease  came  at  length  ,so  treacherously  that  none 
feared  it  till  it  was  too  late,  and  then,  on  that  winter  evening,  Ihe  shock — the 
pitiless,  dreadful  shock,  the  hush  that  settled  in  a  hundred  homes  of  the  city,  in 

1123  n  I— 11 


162        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

the  very  streets.     Nothing  could  have  "been   more  touching  and  nothing  could  have 
been  more  significant. 

Months  havcpassed,  and  yet  we  ask  ourselves,  "  Is  he  gone  ?  "  The  vitality  that  was 
in  him,  so  exuberant,  so  large,  making  itself  felt  in  so  many  circles,  giving  a  senpe 
of  his  presence  so  strong  and  deep  that  we  can  not  help  recalling  and  repeating 
thbse  lines  of  the  "  In  Memoriam"  so  closely  applicable  to  our  beloved  dead: 

"  If  one  should  bring  me  this  report 
That  thou  hadst  touched  the  laud  to-day, 
And  I  went  down  unto  the  quay 
And  found  thee  lying  in  the  port; 

"  And  standing  muffled  round  in  woe, 
Should  see  thy.passeugers  in  rank 
Come  stepping  lightly  down  the  plank 
And  beckoning  unto  those  they  know; 

"  And,  if  along  with  those  should  come 
The  man  I  held  as  half  divine, 
Should  strike  a  sudden  hand  in  mine 
And  ask  a  thousand  things  of  home, 

"  And  I  should  tell  him  all  my  pain, 
And  how  my- life  had  drooped  of  late, 
And  he  should  sorrow  o'er  my  state, 
And  marvel  what  possessed  my  brain, 

"  And  I  perceived  no  touch  of  change, 
No  hint  of  death  in  all  his  frame; 
But  found  him  all  in  all  the  same, 
I  should  not  feel  it  to  bo  strange." 

Wo  buried  him  in  the  snows  of  winter.  The  sky  over  our  heads  as  we  bore  him 
to  tho  cemetery  was  full  of  blessed  sunlight.  There  was  "calm  and  deep  peace  in 
the  wide  air.7'  There  was  calm  and  deep  peace,  too,  in  our  hearts  as  we  remem- 
bered the  noble  life  and  recalled  the  words,  "Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the 
Lord.''  We  thought  of  tho  coming  spring,  in  which  he  always  so  delighted,  and 
the  spring  has  come  to  us.  He  is,  in  the  language  of  a  favorite  hymn,  where 

Everlasting  spring  abides, 
And  never  withering  flowers. 

Yet  he  himself  has  uttered  words  in  one  of  his  sermons  which  are  so  deeply  true 
and  so  touchingly  pertinent  that  they  prove  the  fittest  conclusion  to  this  com- 
memorative service. 

"Even  when  in  middle  life  the  strong  man  is  suddenly  stricken  down,  dying  in 
the  midst  of  the  battle,  with  harness  on,  there  are  many  aspects  in  which  the  sor- 
row is  full  of  comfort.  It  is  the  death  which  the  good  soldier  never  shuns.  The 
memory  left  is  not  of  decay,  but  of  the  fullness  of  manly  strength.  The  imago 
which  affection  cherished  is  a  grateful  one.  And  especially  is  this  tho  case  when 
into  the  zealous  and  faithful  labor  of  a  few  years  have  been  compressed  the  work  of 
a  long  life.  We  need  not  length  of  days  to  do  well  our  life  work.  The  most  con- 
secrated souls  are  often  called  soonest  away." 

PROFESSOR    CHACE. 

A  famous  man  once  said,  "  I  have  learned  more  from  men  than  from 
books."  In  the  history  of  an  institution  there  are  certain  men  who 
stand  forth  prominent  for  their  moral  worth  and  for  the  impression 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  163 

they  make  on  their  students.  One  of  the  benefits  derived  from  contact 
with  a  great  teacher  is  the  personality  which  he  impresses  by  example 
and  precept.  Too  often  the  student  in  college  may  not  appreciate  how 
great  has  been  this  influence,  but  sooner  or  later  his  recognition  of  it 
will  come,  and  the  loving  tribute  of  appreciation  will  be  paid. 

If  any  excuse  need  be  offered  for  the  biography  of  men  prominent  in 
the  college,  it  can  be  urged  that  only  as  their  lives  are  known  can  be 
seen  the  motives  and  purposes  which  have  given  them  the  influence 
they  wielded. 
.    Said  Prof.  Diman  on  one  occasion : 

Admirable  culture  of  whatever  kind  must  have  its  roots  in  the  moral  sentiment. 
Scientific  training,  unless  regulated  and  qualified  by  broader  culture,  can  only  end 
in  debilitating  instead  of  enlarging  the  spiritual  nature  *  *  *  for  education 
must  receive  its  shape  from  above,  not  from  beneath. 

Particularly  appropriate  were  these  words  to  the  character  exempli- 
fied by  Prof.  George  Ide  Chace,  who  for  forty  years  was  identified  with 
the  college  in  all  the  grades  of  academic  work  from  tutor  to  president. 

The  subject  of  the  following  sketch,  George  Ide  Chace,  was  born  in 
1808  in  Massachusetts.  Entering  the  sophomore  class  in  1827,  while 
Dr.  Way  land  was  president,  he  proved  himself  an  enthusiastic  student, 
graduating  with  the  highest  honor.  He  determined  upon  teaching  as 
his  vocation  in  life,  and  his  after  career  showed  how  wise  was  this 
choice.  He  accepted  the  principalship  of  an  academy  in  Waterville, 
Me.,  but  remained  there  for  a  brief  period,  having  accepted  a  position  as 
tutor  in  mathematics  at  Brown.  This  was  in  1831.  In  1833  he  was 
advanced  from  tutor  to  adjunct  professor  in  mathematics  and  natural 
philosophy.  From  this  time  his  instruction  in  the  natural  sciences 
began.  The  next  year  he  held  the  chair  of  chemistry,  and  in  1836  the 
department  was  enlarged  so  as  to  include  geology  and  physiology  as 
well  as  chemistry.  This  position  he  held  till  18G7. 

The  natural  sciences  at  that  time  were  not  given  such  an  important 
place  in  the  college  curriculum,  but  even  then  for  one  man  to  combine 
so  many  in  his  instruction  showed  that  he  had  rare  ability.  Prof. 
Ohace  was -a  man  of  ability  in  several  subjects,  but  it  was  admitted 
that  if  he  had  devoted  himself  entirely  to  pure  mathematics  he  would 
have  held  a  foremost  position  among  the  ranks  of  mathematicians. 

After  the  resignation  of  President  Sears,  Prof.  Chace  held  the  presi- 
dency of  the  college  for  18GG-'67. 

There  was  a  feeling  that  as  all  the  other  presidents  had  been  clergy- 
men such  a  precedent  should  be  followed.  This  was  the  reason  of  the 
appointment  of  Dr.  Caswell  to  the  position  of  head  of  the  college. 
This  change  involved  another  in  the  instruction,  namely,  that  Prof. 
Chace  should  take  the  chair  of  moral  and  intellectual  philosophy.  His 
presidency  of  the  college  during  the  one  year  he  held  it  showed  his  wis- 
dom, and  devotion.  The  change  from  the  department  of  the  sciences 
to  that  which  he  now  held  was  made  in  the  confidence  that  his  work 


164        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

would  be  well  done.  Nor  was  this  trust  misplaced.  The  hold  which 
he  had  upon  his  classes  in  this  department  may*be  seen  from  a  quota- 
tion from  the  petition  of  the  class  of  1872,  when  there  was  a  prospect 
that  he  would  not  be  able  to  complete  the  course  of  that  collegiate 
year : 

*  *  *  Your  instruction  can  iiofc,  we  feel,  be  replaced  to  us;  still  less  can  be 
filled  the  place  which  you  occupy  iu  our  hearts.  We  desire,  therefore,  as  a  class,  to 
return  to  you  our  heartfelt  thanks  for  the  past ;  and  while  expressing  our  preference 
for  your  instruction  over  that  of  anyone  who  might  succeed  you,  we  sincerely  hope 
that  it  may  be  within  your  power  to  complete  our  course  of  instruction  in  moral 
philosophy,  when  we  shall  consider  it  our  honor  to  leave  the  university  with  you.* 
(Signed  by  the  class.) 

The  class  had  the  privilege  of  his  instruction  through  the  year,  but 
in  the  same  year,  1872,  he  decided  to  sever  his  connection  with  the  col- 
lege. For  forty-one  years  he  had  served  on  the  faculty.  His  retire- 
ment was  the  result  of  mature  deliberation.  In  18G7  he  had  written  to 
his  sister : 

I  prefer  to  close  my  professional. career  while  I  am  in  full  strength  and  vigor,  and 
while  I  havetstill  freshness  of  interests  enough  to  find  other  occupations  attractive. 

Prof.  Chace  was  one  who  brought  his  academic  culture  into  the  com- 
munity. He  lectured  before  the  Peabody  Institute  and  the  Smithso- 
nian. Under  Dr.  Waylaml  the  methods  of  university  education  were 
reorganized,  and  scientific  instruction  in  the  processes  of  the  arts 
was  to  be  given  to  the  community.  Accordingly,  Prof.  Chace  delivered 
a  course  of  lectures  for  the  benefit  of  those  engaged  in  the  working  of 
metals.  The  course  was  eminently  successful,  and  those  who  attended 
expressed  their  appreciation  by  presenting  the  professor  with  a  silver 
pitcher.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Friday  Evening 
Club,  of  which  Prof.  Diman  was  such  a  valued  member.  Here,  in  the 
discussions  and  in  the  papers  which  he  presented,  was  seen  the  wide 
range  of  his  scholarly  mind.  He  was  also  a  contributor  to  leading 
reviews.  Perhaps  the  most  successful  of  his  addresses  was  that  com- 
memorative of  Dr.  Wayland.  This  was  delivered  in  1866,  and  extracts 
have  been  given  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  Dr.  Wayland. 

After  leaving  the  university  he  spent,  two  years  in  foreign  travel. 
On  his  return  he  was  chosen  to  the  chairmanship  of  the  State  board  of 
charities,  and  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent  in  philanthropic 
work.  The  respect  and  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  were  shown  by  the  tributes  to  him  from  all  sides.  Mindful  to 
the  last  of  his  devotion  to  his  alma  mater,  he  left  $9,000  to  be  devoted  to 
two  scholarships.  His  death  occurred  April  29, 1885. 

The  following  extract  from  a  resolution  offered  by  Prof.  Lincoln,  on 
the  part  of  the  alumni,  will  indicate  the  opinion  of  his  colleagues: 

His  rare  ability  in  the  sciences,  both  iu  the  investigation  and  in  the  communica- 
tion of  truth;  his  clearness  and  fullness  of  comprehension  in  the  statement  of  prin- 
ciples, and  his  skill  and  aptness  in  their  illustration ;  the  stimulating  iniluence  of  his 
instruction  toward  the  pursuit  and  acquisition  of  sound  knowledge,  and  their 
molding  moral  force  in  producing  right  habits  of  thinking  and  noble  forms  of 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  165 

character — all  these  will  ever  be  cherished  by  his  pupils  among  the  choicest  memo- 
ries of  their  college  education,  and  be  treasured  in  the  history  of  our  university 
among  the  best  elements  of  its  fame  and  usefulness.  And  while  we  thus  recall,  as 
alumni  of  this  university,  the  useful  services  of  Prof.  Chace's  long  professional 
career,  we  would  not  forget  the  new  course  of  service,  no  less  useful,  on  which  he 
entered  at  the  completion  of  that  career.  He  might  reasonably  then  have  sought  a 
studious  retirement,  where  he  might  spend  his  declining  years  in  meditation  upon 
the  elevated  themes  of  philosophy  and  religion  so  familiar  to  him  by  nature  and  by 
habit.  But  so  strong  were  his  tendencies  to  useful  action,  he  saw  so  keenly  the  need 
of  such  action  in  the  world,  the  good  that  imperatively  needed  to  be  done  and  the 
evil  to  be  undone,  that  he  then  gave  himself  with  fresh  zeal  and  devotion  to  the 
promotion  of  the  great  interests  of  philanthropy,  morality,  and  religion,  in  connec- 
tion with  charitable  and  public  institutions  in  Rhode  Island.  This  feature  of  Prof. 
Ckace's  life  and  character  reminds  one  of  the  words  of  a  Latin  poet,  said  of  a  great 
Roman,  who  was  a  man  alike  of  action  and  of  thought:  " Nil  actum  credens,  dumquid 
superesset  agendum."  So  it  was  with  Prof,  Chace,  that  he  thought  "  nothing  done  so 
long  as  anything  remained  to  be  done."  So  was  it  also  with  him  as  a  Christian  man, 
that  with  the  aim  and  spirit  of  a  life  to  be  lived  not  for  self,  but  for  others,  he 
gave  his  best  thoughts  and  efforts  to  wise  and  beneficent  measures  for  the  cure  of 
the  sick,  for  the  care  of  the  insane,  for  the  instruction  of  the  ignorant,  and  the  refor- 
mation of  the  vicious.  Such  was  the  end  that  crowned  the  work  of  his  life. 

PROFESSOR    GREENE. 

In  January,  1883,  occurred  the  death  of  Prof.  Samuel  S.  Greene. 
From  his  identification  with  'the  higher  educational  interests  in  the 
State,  not  only  at  the  college  but  in  the  city,  mention  should  be  made 
of  what  he  did. 

He,  too,  was  a  graduate  of  Brown,  of  the  class  of  1837.  He  taught 
till  1849,  when  he  was  appointed  agent  of  the  Massachusetts  board  of 
education.  After  the  adoption  of  the  new  system,  he  was  appointed 
professor  of  "  didactics  "  at  Brown.  In  addition  to  his  duties  there  he 
commenced  a  course  of  lectures  to  teachers,  which  was  the  germ  of  the 
normal  school.  In  1855  he  was  appointed  professor  of  mathematics 
and  civil  engineering  at  Brown,  having  resigned  the  position  of  super- 
intendent of  the  city  schools. 

Perhaps  he  is  as  widely  known  through  his  text-books:  Analysis  of 
the  English  Language,  First  Lessons  in  Grammar,  Elements  of  English 
Grammar,  English  Grammar,  and  Introduction  to  English  Grammar. 

The  minute  which  was  entered  on  the  records  of  the  faculty  will  show 
the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  those  who  were  associated  with 
him. 

His  extensive  and  accurate  acquaintance  with  literary  as  well  as  with  scientific 
subjects,  and  his  enthusiastic  devotion  to  the  cause  of  education,  both  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  the  university,  are  widely  known  and  are  appreciated,  and  have  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  reputation  and  dignity  of  tiiis  institution.  We  recall,  too, 
his  almost  uuequaled  skill  as  a  teacher  of  abstruse  and  difficult  sciences,  his 
unwearied  efforts  in  imparting  knowledge,  the  noble  serenity  and  dignity  of  his 
Christian  character,  which  left  so  deep  an  impress  on  all  his  pupils,  and  we  feel  that, 
as  a  corps  of  instructors,  we  have  met  with  a  loss  well-nigh  irreparable. 


166        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

THE  COLLEGE  IX  1889. 

The  last  report  of  Dr.  Robinson  to  the  corporation  in  1880  gathered 
up  some  of  the  experiences  of  the  college  since  he  had  assumed  the 
presidency.  Attention  was  called  in  it  to  the  fact  that  for  the  first 
time  in  its  history  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy  had  been  con- 
ferred on  two  students  who  pursued  special  courses  of  resident  graduate 
study. 

On  this  side  of  the  university  work  he  continued : 

It  is  earnestly  to  be  hoped  that  courses  of  graduate  study,  to  bo  rewarded  by 
higher  degrees,  which  have  thus  been  begun,  will  hereafter  become  permanent  parts 
of  the  educational  opportunities  afforded  at  Brown  University,  and  that  these  courses 
of  study  will  be  so  far  multiplied  and  extended  as  to  embrace  the  chief  branches  of 
literature  and  science.  Surely  a  college  that  has  existed  for  a  century  and  a  quarter, 
has  existed  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  and  populous  city  from  which  it  derives  a  large. 
percentage  of  its  students,  and  a  college  that  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  has 
borne  the  title  of  university,  ought  by  this  time  to  do  something  more  than  to 
repeat  an  endless  routine  of  elementary  studies. 

In  thus  advocating  an  enlargement  of  the  sphere  of  work,  and  pleading  that 
provision  be  made  for  advanced  instruction,  nothing  is  further  from  my  thought  than 
that  the  distinctive  work  of  the  college  should  in  any  way  be  interfered  with,  or  its 
courses  of  study  or  standards  of  excellence  be  in  any  way  changed.  The  thorough 
work  of  the  college  is  indispensable  as  a  preparation  for  advanced  work  in  any 
department  whatever.  Nothing  in  the  matter  of  education  seems  to  me  more  irrational 
than  a  proposal  to  supplant  the  college  with  the  university,  or  to  attempt  instruc- 
tion in  the  higher  ranges  of  knowledge  without  a  thorough  grounding  in  its  ele- 
ments. 

With  reference  to  the  deportment  of  the  students  the  president  says : 

College  pranks  and  disturbances  by  night,  so  common  years  ago,  have  for  the  pres- 
ent ceased.  I  hardly  know  how  the  same  number  of  young  men  could  be  expected 
to  conduct  themselves  with  more  uniform  decorum  and  propriety  than  our  students 
have  done  during  the  last  year.  For  ten  years  or  more  there  has  been  a  steady  and 
uniform  improvement  of  manners  and  deportment.  The  contrast  between  the  deport- 
ment of  students  the  past  year  and  seventeen  years  ago  has  been  too  marked  to 
escape  the  notice  of  the  most  casual  observer.  I  wish  I  could  speak  with  equal  con- 
fidence of  a  corresponding  improvement  in  studiousness  and  attainments.  In  saying 
this,  however,  I  would  by  no  means  be  understood  to  imply  that  there  is  less  devo- 
tion to  study  than  formerly,  or  even  that  there  is  not  more.  But  increase  in  the 
amount  of  thorough  scholarship,  and  in  the  number  of  students  whose  aims  arehigh 
and  generous,  has  not  in  any  college  in  the  country,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  distinctively 
characterized  the  so-called  progress  of  recent  years;  has  not  kept  pace  either  with 
the  multiplication  of  departments  of  knowledge,  or  with  the  increase  of  means  for 
exploring  them.  That  the  social  and  festive  element  of  college  life  has  largely  and 
very  generally  increased  is  manifest  to  all  men.  The  increase  of  this  element  doubt- 
less to  some  extent  accounts  for  the  diminution  of  the  spirit  of  disorder  once  so  com- 
mon in  all  the  colleges.  So  far  as  this  college  is  concerned  I  think  there  has  also 
been  an  increase  of  manliness  and  self-respect.  Student  life  with  us  has  been  brought 
into  closer  relations  than  once  existed  with  the  social  life  of  the  city.  The  influence 
of  this  has  been  restraining  and  refining,  though  it  may  not  always  have  been  intel- 
lectually quickening. 

In  conclusion  reference  was  made  to  his  withdrawal  from  the  presi- 
dency : 

In  resigning  the  presidency  of  the  university,  I  retire  with  the  consciousness  of 
having  labored  honestly  for  its  best  interests;  and  with  the  conviction  that,  while 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  167 

its  progress,  from  causes  which  ought  never  to  have  existed,  has  not  been  allthut  I  had 
labored  and  hoped  for,  there  has  nevertheless  been  an  advance  in  the  kind  and 
extent  of  its  work ;  it  has  never  been  in  more  favor  with  those  who  are  disposed  to 
supply  it  with  needed  funds  than  it  now  is ;  and  it  never  had  a  better  prospect  of 
usefulness  and  of  patronage  from  all  parts  of  our  country  than  has  recently  been 
opening  before  it. 

At  tlie  meeting  of  the  corporation,  when  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Bob- 
inson  was  presented,  and  a  committee  chosen  to  select  his  successor, 
Prof.  Gammell  made  the  following  remarks: 

The  funds  of  the  university,  which  in  1872  were,  $552,430,  were,  in  1888,  $960,411, 
not  including  the  gift  of  Mr.  Duncan,  $20,000,  and  a  more  recent  gift  of  $20,000,  and 
other  gifts,  which  would  make  the  total  about  $1,018,000.  The  endowment  has  been 
very  nearly  doubled  (not  counting  the  Lyman  bequest,  from  which  $60,000  or  -$70,000 
will  be  realized).  These  gifts  have  conie  very  largely  from  the  community  in  which 
the  college  is  located. 

For  this  prosperity  we  are  greatly  indebted  to  the  judgment,  the  fidelity,  the 
ability,  and  the  diligence  of  President  Robinson.  During  those  seventeen  years  ho 
has  never  been  absent  from  a  college  duty,  from  a  recitation,  or  from  a  chapel  exer- 
cise, except  when  called  away  by  public  duties.  How  few  professional  men  have  a 
similar  record. 

Of  his  instruction  I  may  speak  with  confidence,  having  had  two  sons  under  his 
instructions-,  and  it  having  been  my  duty  in  various  ways  to  know  the  internal  his- 
tory of  the  college.  The  instruction  has  been  of  a  very  high  order.  He  has  done 
much  to  raise  its  standard;  he  has  restored  largely  the  spirit  of  the  instruction  of 
my  old  teacher,  President  Wayland.  I  consider  this  a  fair  statement  of  the  results 
of  Dr.  Robinson's  instruction. 

PRESIDENT  ANDREWS,  1889. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Eobinson,  a  committee  of  9  was  chosen 
to  elect  a  new  president.  The  task  was  difficult  on  account  of  the 
numerous  candidates  that  were  before  the  committee.  After  due  con- 
sideration, the  unanimous  choice  of  the  committee  was  in  favor  of 
Elisha  B.  Andrews,  who  was  then  holding  the  chair  of  political  economy 
at  Cornell. 

Dr.  Andrews  was  graduated  from  Brown  in  1870,  and  from  Newton 
Theological  Seminary  m  1874.  He  held  a  pastorate  in  Beverly,  Mass., 
for  one  year,  and  was  the  president  of  Denison  University  till  1879. 

For  the  next  three  years  he  was  at  Newton  Theological  Seminary. 
He  was  then  called  to  the  chair  of  history  and  political  economy  at 
Brown.  This  position  he  held  for  five  years,  going  to  Cornell  in  1888. 

Of  the  many  comments  which  appeared  with  reference  to  the  new 
president  of  the  university,  the  following  will  give  a  very  good  idea  of 
the  man: 

While  under  45,  he  is  the  senior  by  fourteen  years  of  Dr.  Wayland,  when  that  cele- 
brated educator  was  first  elected  to  his  position.  Brown  has  had  very  young  as  well 
as  very  aged  presidents,  and  it  is  now  returning  to  one  of  the  best  traditions  of  its 
honorable  history  in  summoning  to  its  chief  seat  Dr.  Andrews,  in  the  prime  of  his 
manhood. 

Dr.  Andrews  is  not  a  narrow-minded  or  bigoted  denominationalist,  but  a  man  of 
broad  catholic  sympathies,  comprehensive  learning,  and  commanding  force.  He  is 


168        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

singularly  well  adapted  for  the  work  of  completely  emancipating  that  college  from 
sectarian  influences  and  establishing  it  on  the  broad  foundation  of  higher  scholar- 
ship and  good  letters.  Under  his  predecessor,  Brown  has  made  remarkable  progress 
during  the  last  seventeen  years,  and  he  will  enter  upon  his  work  under  the  most 
favorable  auspices,,  a  new  gymnasium  having  been  already  practically  secured.  Dr. 
Andrews,  however,  ia  not  an  educator  who  is  dependent  upon  rich  endowments  or  the 
size  and  number  of  college  buildings.  He  belongs  to  the  same  class  of  teachers  as 
Dr.  Arnold,  who  could  have  established  u  great  school  if  he  had  started  it  in  a  barn. 
He  is  a  man  endowed  with  a  genius  for  teaching  and  for  commanding  the  sympathies 
of  young  men. 

The  personality  of  the  head  of  an  institution  will  be  impressed  on 
its  working  force.  A  man  of  broad  ideas,  progressive  and  energetic, 
can  do  much  to  bring  an  institution  of  learning  into  the  front  ranks. 
It  is  not  enough  to  have  collected  a  faculty  who  shall  all  be  eminent 
in  their  departments — a  fine  equipment  of  laboratories  and  libraries 
will  not  bring  a  college  to  the  front — but  there  must  be  a  man  at  the 
head  who  can  see  into  the  future.  He  must  plan  now  for  what  is  to 
come;  he  must  secure  the  cooperation  of  the  academic  staff,  and  have 
the  enthusiastic  admiration  of  the  students.  In  addition  to  these  essen- 
tials within  the  college  walls,  he  must  bring  the  college  into  touch  with 
the  life  of  the  city.  The  college  is  an  institution  of  the  city,  and  to 
the  extent  the  citizens  feel  a  pride  in  it,  will  its  sphere  of  usefulness  be 
increased.  In  the  opinion  of  the  friends  of  the  institution,  such  quali- 
fications are  happily  united  in  its  present  leader.  Coining  to  the 
university  as  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  committee  who  were  chosen 
to  elect  a  president,  it  is  confidently  believed  that  under  his  adminis- 
tration an  era  of  prosperity  is  opening  up  before  the  university. 

A  college  must  depend  for  its  main  support  on  the  body  of  its 
alumni.  Those  of  Brown  are  to-day  holding  positions  of  trust  and 
honor  in  all  the  States  of  the  Union.  Although  the  college  is  denomi- 
national, it  is  not  sectarian.  There  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that 
very  few  measures  in  its  administration  have  been  advanced  or  with- 
drawn on  strict  sectarian  grounds.  The  interest  which  the  alumni 
evince  is  shown  by  the  readiness  with  which  the  Lincoln  fund  was 
secured. 

Wilson  Hall  was  ready  for  occupancy  in  1890.  The  Ladd  Observatory 
was  built,  and  plans  for  the  new  gymnasium  had  been  accepted. 
The  history  of  the  beginning  of  these  additions  belongs  to  the  previous 
administration,  but  the  results  will  be  an  integral  part  in  the  increased 
facilities  of  the  university  in  the  immediate  future. 

COURSE    OF    STUDY. 

In  1889  two  students  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy  after 
special  courses  of  study  in  residence  at  the  university.  The  degree  of 
master  of  arts  is  bestowed  upon  a  candidate,  already  a  bachelor  of  arts, 
who  has  completed  a  thorough  course  of  liberal  graduate  study,  sufficient 
in  amount  to  constitute  a  fifth  year  of  college  work  and  has  passed 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  169 

satisfactory  examinations  thereupon.  The  degrees  of  bachelor  of  arts 
and  bachelor  of  philosophy  are  conferred  at  graduation.  Students  may 
pursue  a  select  course  without  becoming  a  candidate  for  a  degree.  The 
attendance  in  the  class  room  must  be  at  least  sixteen  hours  per  week. 
The  course  is  one  of  four  years. 

The  courses  of  instruction  form  a  system  of  required  and  elective 
study.  The  studies  of  the  freshman  year  are  all  required,  with  the 
exception  that  a,  choice  of  courses  is  offered  candidates  for  the  degree 
of  bachelor  of  philosophy  according  as  they  do  or  do  not  pursue  the 
study  of  an  ancient  language.  In  the  sophomore  and  junior  years  the 
required  studies  occupy  seven  of  the  sixteen  hours  of  instruction  each 
week,  and  in  the  senior  year  live  of  the  fourteen  hours.  The  required 
studies  of  the  freshman  year  are  selected  for  their  disciplinary  value, 
in  order  that  the  students  may  the  more  profitably  pursue  those  of 
subsequent  years,  whatever  they  may  select.  The  required  studies  of 
the  sophomore,  junior,  and  senior  years  are  restricted  to  English, 
German,  history,  and  philosophy,  the  pursuit  of  which  is  deemed 
necessary  for  all  students  who  are  to  be  recommended  for  a  collegiate 
degree. 

The  elective  studies  oifer  the  student  a  large  number  of  subjects, 
and  are  so  placed  in  the  curriculum  that  freedom  of  choice  is  allowed 
within  the  necessary  limitations  of  the  schedule  of  lectures.  In  this 
schedule  a  number  of  parallel  courses,  extending  through  the  three 
years,  are  made  available,  and  to  these  each  student  is  advised  to  con- 
form in  selecting  his  studies. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  courses  of  instruction,  special-honor  courses 
are  offered,  which  are  open  to  students  who  desire  to  do  extra  work  in 
any  particular  department.  These  honor  courses  consist  mainly  of 
additional  reading  supplemented  by  essays,  and  examinations  are  held 
at  the  option  of  the  several  professors. 

THE   DEPARTMENTS   OF   INSTRUCTION. 
PHILOSOPHY. 

The  primary  aim  in  the  required  philosophical  studies  is  to  strengthen 
and  discipline  the  pupil's  mind,  and  as  far  as  possible  to  render  him  a 
safe,  strong,  independent  thinker  and  investigator.  Along  with  this 
goes  a  practical  purpose,  especially  pronounced  in  ethics,  to  aid  pupils 
in  mastering  those  important  problems  in  this  department  which  are 
basal  to  all  high  intellectual  life  and  to  conduct.  Great  attention  is 
given  to  the  topics  of  practical  ethics  and  casuistry,  now  of  such  pecul- 
iar interest  to  the  world.  In  the  history  of  philosophy,  which  is  elec- 
tive, effort  is  made,  by  one  year  more  in  ancient  philosophy,  from 
Plato  as  center,  the  next  in  modern,  with  Kant  as  the  fixed  point,  to 
reveal  the  concatenation  of  philosophical  systems,  the  inarch  of  sys- 
tematic thought  from  master  to  master.  The  teaching  is  not  merely 


170        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

analytic  or  historical,  but  positive  and  constructive,  the  reverse  of 
skeptical.  The  evolution  of  religion  and  the  course  and  meaning  of 
divine  revelation  are  pointed  out  and  emphasized. 

GREEK    LANGUAGE    AND    LITERATURE. 

v 

The  studies  in  this  department  are  prescribed  for  the  freshman  year 
and  elestive  for  the  sophomore,  junior,  and  senior  years. 

The  courses  of  instruction  and  study  aim  to  give  the  student  a  crit- 
ical knowledge  of  the  language,  to  secure  for  him  facility  in  reading 
and  appreciating  Greek  authors,  and  to  interest  him  in  the  study  of  the 
literature,  civilization,  and  life  of  the  ancient  Greeks. 

The  courses  of  reading  may  be  greatly  extended  for  those  vdio  are 
either  candidates  for  the  higher  degrees  or  are  studying  for  honors. 

The  president's  premiums  for  excellence  in  preparatory  Greek  are 
awarded  after  a  special  examination  at  the  beginning  of  the  freshman 
year. 

The  Foster  premium  for  the  highest  excellence  in  the  Greek  lan- 
guage is  awarded  after  a  critical  examination  at  the  close  of  the  senior 
year. 

LATIN   LANGUAGE   AND   LITERATURE. 

The  studies  in  this  department,  as  in  Greek,  are  prescribed  for  the 
freshman  year,  and  elective  for  the  sophomore,  junior,  and  senior 
years.  The  courses  of  study  have  been  specified,  but  other  authors 
than  those  named  may  be  read  in  different  years. 

It  is  intended  that  lectures  be  given  to  the  freshman  and  sophomore 
classes,  on  the  ends  and  scope  of  the  studies  of  the  department,  and  on 
the  literature  pertaining  to  them;  also  on  the  authors  read  and  their 
contemporaries  in  Roman  literature.  In  connection  with  the  study  of 
Horace,  lectures  on  Kome  and  the  Romans  of  the  time  of  Augustus 
will  be  given.  The  elective  courses  in  the  senior  year  are  accompanied 
by  lectures. 

The  chief  objects  aimed  at  in  the  instruction  may  be  briefly  stated 
as  follows:  To  secure  for  the  student  by  grammatical  and  exegetical 
study,  and  by  sight  reading,  the  ability  to  read  Latin  with  facility;  to 
cultivate  by  faithful  translation  his  power  of  expression  in  English; 
and  by  uniting  continuous  historical  and  literary  illustration  with  the 
i  eading  of  classic  Roman  writers,  to  make  the  study  of  Latin  a  means 
of  increasing  his  mental  discipline  and  literary  culture. 

The  president's  premiums  for  excellency  in  preparatory  Latin  are 
awarded  after  a  special  examination  at  the  beginning  of  the  freshman 
year. 

CLASSICAL   ARCHAEOLOGY. 

In  connection  with  the  work  in  Greek  and  Latin  an  elementary  course 
of  instruction  in  classical  archaeology  is  offered  to  the  senior  class  as  an 
elective  study  for  the  first  half-year.  It  consists  chiefly  of  a  study  of 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  171 

the  history  of  Greek  sculpture.  The  text-book,  Collignon's  Manual  of 
Greek  Archeology  translated  by  Wright,  is  supplemented  by  lectures 
and  by  extensive  collateral  reading.  The  plaster  casts  in  the  museum 
of  classical  archaeology,  photographs,  engravings,  etc.,  are  used  by  the 
instructor  to  illustrate  the  subject. 

RHETORIC    AND    ENGLISH    LITERATURE. 

The  aim  of  the  course  in  rhetoric  is  to  give  a  thorough  and  systematic 
training  in  the  principles  and  practice  of  English  composition.  The 
different  kinds  of  composition  are  set  forth  in  their  logical  relation  to 
each  other;  and  essays,  whose  plans  are  based  on  specific  rhetorical 
methods,  are  required  from  the  student. 

The  subject  of  style  is  discussed  both  theoretically  and  practically, 
and  the  elements  of  rhetorical  criticism  are  applied  in  the  analysis  of 
the  work  of  a  standard  author. 

There  are  two  parallel  courses  in  English  literature,  one  general,  dis- 
cussing the  uniform  and  .progressive  development  of  the  literature  from 
the  fifth  to  the  nineteenth  century;  and  the  other  special,  embracing 
the  reading  and  literary  criticism  of  leading  authors  from  the  fourteenth 
to  the  nineteenth  century.  The  aim  of  the  courses  is  to  inculcate  the 
unity  of  the  literature,  and  also  to  cultivate  the  literary  taste  of  the 
student  that  he  may  appreciate  the  classics  of  our  English  tongue.  In 
connection  with  the  elective  course  in  the  senior  year  lectures  are  given 
on  early  American  literature. 

For  rhetorical  work  in  the  junior  year  the  student  is  required  to  pre: 
pare  essays  in  connection  with  both  the  courses  in  literature,  and  also  to 
deliver  orations,  which  have  been  privately  rehearsed  before  the  instruc- 
tor in  elocution. 

In  the  junior  year  a  voluntary  class  is  formed  for  the  study  of 
Anglo-Saxon. 

The  course  in  elocution  includes  the  acquirement  of  the  principles  of 
the  art,  and  such  a  drill  in  vocal  development  and  delivery  as  to  assist 
the  student  to  become  an  effective  speaker. 

HISTORY   AND    POLITICAL   SCIENCE. 

The  course  of  instruction  in  history  and  political  science  continues 
through  the  junior  and  senior  years.  Throughout  the  former,  history 
is  a  required  study ;  throughout  the  latter,  there  are  electives  in  polit- 
ical science,  in  which,  however,  much  attention  is  given  to  historical 
matters. 

During  the  first  term  of  the  junior  year,  the  mediaeval  and  modern 
history  of  Europe  are  studied.  Lectures  are  first  given  upon  the  his- 
tory of  the  Eoman  Empire  from  the  death  of  Marcus  Aurelius  to  the 
latter  part  of  the  fifth  century.  A  text-book  is  then  used,  by  means  of 
which,  in  connection  with  informal  lectures,  class-room  reports,  and 
supplementary  reading,  the  history  of  Europe  is  pursued  down  to  the 


172        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century.  During  the  second  term  the 
same  subject  is  continued  until  the  history  of  the  present  year  is 
reached;  the  term  is  thenceforward  devoted,  after  similar  methods,  to 
the  study  of  the  political  and  constitutional  history  of  the  United 
States,  especially  since  the  year  1783.  This  study,  also,  is  brought 
down  to  the  present  time. 

The  elective  course  of  the  first  term  of  the  senior  year  is  occupied 
with  the  subject  of  constitutions,  European  and  American.  The  forms 
of  government  of  the  chief  European  states  are  considered.  The 
study  of  the  American  Constitution,  next  succeeding,  is  not  confined 
to  comment  on  the  document  called  by  that  name,  but  aims  to  insure  a 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  all  the  most  important  institutions  of 
government  actually  existing  in  America.  The  study  is  accompanied 
by  efforts  to  give  a  clear  historical  knowledge  of  the  internal  politics 
of  European  and  American  states  in  recent  years.  The  subjects  of  the 
elective  in  the  second  term  of  the  senior  year  are  the  history  of  law, 
and  international  law  and  the  recent  history  of  diplomacy.  Lectures 
treat  of  ancient  law,  and  of  the  history  and  development  of  Eoman 
law  and  of  English  law.  A  small  text-book  of  international  law  is 
then  employed,  the  study  of  which  is  accompanied  by  lectures  and 
reports  on  important  topics  of  recent  diplomatic  history.  Thus,  the 
first  elective  being  accompanied  by  a  study  of  the  recent  internal  his- 
tory of  European  and  American  states,  the  second  is  accompanied  by 
the  study  of  the  recent  history  of  their  external  relations.  The  adjust- 
ment of  a  revised  curriculum  to  the  conditions  presented  by  existing 
classes  has  caused  some  deviation  from  this  programme  during  the 
present  year. 

POLITICAL   ECONOMY. 

The  course  in  political  economy  comprises  two  parts:  (1)  An  elemen- 
tary course,  occupying  three  hours  a  week  during  the  first  half  of  the 
senior  year.  (2)  An  advanced  course,  occupying  three  hours  a  week 
during  the  second  half  of  the  senior  year.  The  elementary  course  is 
based  upon  a  text  book,  supplemented  by  lectures  on  the  part  of  the 
instructor,  and  by  reading  in  standard  authors  and  investigations  on. 
the  part  of  the  class.  Some  of  the  more  important  economic  problems 
of  the  day  are  discussed,  and  their  relation  to  underlying  economic 
principles  shown. 

The  advanced  course  is  intended  to  vary  somewhat  from  year  to  year, 
one  of  two  objects  being  kept  in  view,  either  to  introduce  the  student 
to  the  careful  and  detailed  study  of  some  special  field  of  economics,  or 
to  show  the  science  in  its  broad  historical  relations.  Two  hours  a  week 
are  devoted  to  the  history  of  the  science,  with  Ingram's  History  of  Politi- 
cal Economy  as  a  text-book,  and  lectures  by  the  instructor  on  the  his- 
tory of  economic  life,  and  the  relation  between  that  life  and  the  develop- 
ment of  economic  science.  The  students  are  required  to  read  extensively 
in  the  more  imnortant  authors  dealt  with.  One  hour  n  week  is  devoted 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  173 

to  a  discussion,  of  economic  problems,  involving  important  principles, 
with  the  purpose  of  reviewing  and  fixing  firmly  in  mind  the  work  of  the 
elementary  course.  The  endeavor  is  made  to  give  these  problems  as 
practical  a  character  as  possible,  in  order  to  train  the  student  in  the 
application  of  economic  principles  to  the  questions  of  modern  economic 
life. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  course,  a  class  of  10  or  12  students,  espe- 
cially interested  in  economics,  meets  the  instructor  two  hours  each 
month  for  seminary  work  along  some  special  line  of  study,  varying  from 
year  to  year.  The  work  is  based  upon  Walker's  Money,  Trade  and 
Industry,  and  Jevons's  Money  and  the  Mechanism  of  Exchange.  Inves- 
tigations are  made  and  essays  presented  upon  topics  which  are  sug- 
gested by  these  works. 

MODERN    LANGUAGES. 

The  department  of  modern  languages  includes  German,  French, 
Italian,  and  Spanish.  The  main  aim  is  twofold:  to  lay  a  broad  and 
firm  foundation  in  the  forms  and  syntactical  structure  of  the  language 
studied,  and  to  furnish  an  introduction  to  an  appreciative  acquaintance 
with  the  literature.  A  subordinate  and  auxiliary  aim  is  to  afford  prac- 
tice in  writing  and  speaking  the  language.  These  aims  are  modified 
somewhat  by  the  subject  studied,  the  length  of  the  course,  and  the 
number  in  the  class. 

GERMAN. 

This  study  may  be  pursued  three  years,  in  recitations  three  times  a 
week,  from  the  beginning  of  the  sophomore  year  to  the  end  of  the 
senior  year.  It  is  a  required  study  only  during  the  sophomore  year. 
The  following  courses  are  offered: 

(1}  Introductory  course  of  one  year. — Careful  attention  is  here  given  to 
the  language,  to  forms  and  to  syntax,  enforced  by  daily  drill  in  inflection 
and  in  parsing,  by  written  exercises,  and  by  practice  in  speaking.  A 
variety  of  selections  is  read  from  the  best  authors,  each  passage  being 
pronounced  aloud  in  German,  translated,  analyzed,  and  construed. 
Proper  attention  is  bestowed  upon  literary  quality,  but  more  upon  the 
linguistic  side  of  the  study.  One  hour  each  week  through  the  whole 
year  is  devoted  to  conversation  and  composition. 

(2)  Course  in  Schiller,  of  one-half  year. — Less  attention  is  now  given 
to  the  grammar  and  more  to  the  literary  elements,  to  the  thoughts  pre- 
sented, to  the  beauties  of  style,  to  the. versification,  and  to  a  compari- 
son of  Schiller  with  other  writers.     The  aim  is  to  introduce  the  class 
to  an  acquaintance  with  Schiller.     One  hour  each  week  through  the 
half  year  is  devoted  to  conversation  and  composition. 

(3)  Course  in  Lessing,  of  one-half  year. — The  literary  aim  is  here  the 
dominant  one.     The  study  of  the  grammatical  side  of  the  German  is, 
however,  not  lost  sight  of,  though  very  little  time  is  given  to  class-room 
drill. 


174        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

(4)  Course  in  Goethe,  of  one  year. — In  this  the  literary  side  of  the 
study  absorbs  the  whole  attention.     There  is  no  study  of  grammar 
merely  as  grammar,  though  tbe  student  is  held  responsible  for  the 
most  accurate  translation  and  interpretation  of  all  the  work  set  before 
him.    As  in  the  preceding  courses,  all  the  work  must  be  read  at  least 
twice  in  the  original. 

(5)  Course  in  literature. — During  the  middle  year  occasional  lectures 
are  given  upon  the  pieces  of  literature  studied.     During  the  last  year 
there  is  a  course  of  thirty  lectures  upon  the  rise  and  development  of 
German  literature,  with  special  attention  to  the  period  beginning  with 
Klopstock  and  ending  with  Goethe.     The  class  is  required  to  take 
notes,  to  pursue  a  course  of  reading  upon  the  subjects  studied,  and  to 
submit  written  essays  upon  assigned  topics. 

(6)  Honor  course. — This  course  extends  over  the  entire  three  years? 
and  is  open  only  to  those  who  maintain  in  German  a  rank  of  95  per 
cent.     The  course  consists  of   a  careful  preparation   upon   selected 
pieces  from  the  authors  read  in  the  class  room,  equal  in  amount  to  the 
work  performed  by  the  class.     Upon  this  work  the  student  is  from  time 
to  time  examined. 

(7)  Graduate  course. — An  advance  course  is  already  opened  for  those 
who  desire  to  pursue  German  in  connection  with  other  studies,  for  the 
master's  or  the  doctor's  degree. 

In  the  year  1800  there  will  be  offered  to  graduate  students  a  course 
in  the  middle  high  German,  including: 

1.  A  course  in  middle  high  German  and  its  relations  to  old  and  new 
high  German. 

2.  A  course  of  readings  in  the  Minnesanger,  Walther  von  der  Vogel- 
weide,  and  Wolfram  von  Esehenbach. 

3.  A  reading  and  critical  study  of  the  national  epic,  Das  Mbelungen- 
lied. 

FRENCH. 

Candidates  for  degrees  are  examined  at  their  entrance  to  college  upon 
French  grammar  and  upon  easy  French  prose.  They  are  then  sepa- 
rated into  divisions  based  upon  scholarship.  The  course  extends  over 
the  first  two  years,  three  hours  a  week.  The  general  aim  is  the  same 
as  that  already  set  forth  in  German. 

(1)  Elementary  course,,  of  one-half  year.      The   second  and  third 
divisions  of  the  freshman  class  are  given  a  course  in  grammar  work 
and  in   the  reading  of  easy  prose,  in  which  grammatical  drill  is  the 
prominent  feature. 

(2)  Course  in  Racine,  of  one-half  year,  open  to  the  first  division  of 
the  freshman  class  during  the  first  half  year,  and  to  the  second  and 
third  divisions  during  the  second  half  year.     In  this  course  attention 
to  the  literary  work  and  to  grammatical  analysis  are  given  equal  prom- 
inence.    Especial  attention  is  given  to  reading  in  the  original,  to  trans- 
lation, to  versification,  to  grammatical  and  critical  auaylsis 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  175 

(3)  Course  in  Corneille,  of  one-lialf  year,  open  to  the  first  division  of 
the  freshman  class  during  the  second  half  year.    The  main  work  is  a 
careful  study  of  the  author's  masterpieces,  on  the  literary  side,  though 
considerable  time  is  given  to  the  study  of  the  language. 

(4)  Course  in  Moliere,  of  one-half  year,  open  only  to  those  who  have 
completed  course  3.     Several  of  the  masterpieces  of  Moliere  are  read, 
with  a  careful  examination  of  the  style  and  the  peculiarities  in  lan- 
guage. 

(5)  Course  in  Voltaire  and  later  writers,  of  one-half  year,  open  to 
those  who  have  completed  course  4. 

(0)  Honor  course,  of  two  years,  open  on  the  same  conditions  as  the 
similar  course  in  German,  to  which  the  work  corresponds  in  quantity  and 
character. 

(7)  Graduate  course,  corresponding  to  the  parallel  course  in  German. 

SPANISH. 

This  study  is  offered  as  an  elective  during  the  fii*st  half  of  the  senior 
year.  The  aim  is  to  impart  afacility  in  reading  and  translating  readily 
and  accurately  easy  prose  and  verse. 


This  study  is  at  present  offered  during  the  last  half  of  the  senior 
year  as  an  elective.  The  aim  is  similar  to  that  in  Spanish. 

MATHEMATICS,  PURE  AND  APPLIED. 

The  full  course  of  mathematics  occupies  four  years. 

Pure  mathematics. 

First  year. — (1)  Geometry,  solid  and  spherical,  with  original  propo- 
sitions, taught  by  means  of  oral  recitations  and  frequent  written  exer- 
cises. (2)  Trigonometry,  analytical,  plane  and  spherical,  the  use  of 
logarithmic  tables  and  trigonometrical  formulas,  and  solutions  of  prac- 
tical problems.  (3)  Algebra,  embracing  the  theory  of  quadratic  equa- 
tions, permutations  and  combinations,  undetermined  coefficients,  the 
binomial  theorem  for  negative  and  fractional  exponents,  summation 
of  series,  and  logarithms. 

Second  year. — Analytic  geometry,  comprising  the  straight  line,  the 
circle,  the  parabola,  the  ellipse,  the  hyperbola,  the  general  equation  of  the 
second  degree,  higher  plane  curves  in  analytic  geometry  of  two  dimen- 
sions, and  the  point,  the  straight  line,  the  plane,  and  surfaces  of  space, 
revolution  in  analytic  geometry  of  three  dimensions. 

Third  year. — (1)  Differential  calculus,  comprising  the  differentiations 
of  algebraic  and  transcendental  functions,  successive  differentiations, 
the  evaluation  of  indeterminate  forms,  maxima  and  minima  of  func- 
tions of  a  single  variable,  and  the  development  of  functions  in  series. 
(2)  Integral  calculus,  comprising  the  elementary  methods  of  integra- 


176        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

tiou  and  their  application  to  the  determination  of  areas  and  volumes, 
and  the  rectification  of  curves. 

Fourth  year. — (1)  A  continuation  of  the  course  in  integral  calculus 
and  the  general  theory  of  equations. 

\ 

Applied  mathematics,  including  engineering. 

The  full  course  in  this  department  occupies  four  years,  but  a  longer 
or  a  shorter  course  may  be  pursued  if  the  student  so  elects.  Those  not 
wishing  to  pursue  the  full  course  will  find  the  studies  so  arranged  that 
the  knowledge  and  practice  acquired  in  a  partial  course  will  be  prac- 
tical and  available.  Ample  provision  will  be  made  for  the  instruction 
of  any  who  desire  a  more  extended  course  than  is  here  indicated  in 
engineering  and  in  higher  mathematics.  Any  part  of  the  engineering 
course  is  open  to  all  students  as  an  elective,  if  they  are  prepared  by 
previous  work  to  pursue  it  to  advantage. 

The  following  is  the  order  of  study  for  the  regular  course: 

First  year. — (1)  Geometry,  trigonometry,  and  algebra,  as  indicated  in 
the  first  year  of  pure  mathematics.  (2)  Plane  geometrical  problems, 
consisting  of  both  recitation  work  and  mechanical  construction.  A 
thorough  discussion  of  the  various  methods  of  constructing  compli- 
cated problems,  involving  original  work,  is  required.  Mechanical 
drawing,  consisting  of  instruction  in  the  use  of  instruments,  line 
drawing  and  pen  shading,  construction  of  plane  geometrical  prob- 
lems, and  the  more  complicated  plane  curves,  the  principles  of  pro- 
jection and  their  application  in  model  drawing.  (3)  Free-hand  draw- 
ing, consisting  of  crayon  drawing  of  lines,  simple  outlines  of  figures, 
shading,  drawing  of  models  of  machinery,  and  architectural  drawing. 
(4)  Surveying,  comprised  in  three  parts,  viz,  recitation  work,  field 
work,  and  plotting.  In  these  are  embraced  a  study  of  the  construction, 
use,  and  adjustment  of  engineering  instruments,  compass  and  transit 
surveying,  computation  of  areas,  supplying  omissions,  laying  out  and 
dividing  land,  section  leveling,  cross-section  work,  computation  of  earth- 
work, topography,  and  the  laying  out  of  railroad  curves. 

Second  year. — (1)  Analytic  geometry  is  indicated  in  the  second  year 
of  pure  mathematics.  (2)  Descriptive  geometry,  comprising  recitation 
work  and  mechanical  drawing,  discussion  au'd  proof  of  the  methods  of 
representing  (1)  geometrical  magnitudes,  and  (2)  the  solution  of  prob- 
lems relating. to  these  magnitudes  in  space,  and  the  application  of 
descriptive  geometry  in  machine  drawing  from  models.  (3)  Shades 
and  shadows,  linear  perspective,  and  isometrical  projections. 

Third  year. — (1)  Differential  and  integral  calculus,  as  indicated  in 
the  third  year  of  pure  mathematics.  (2)  Advanced  surveying,  com- 
prising recitation  work,  field  work,  and  plotting,  construction,  use,  and 
adjustment  of  instruments  not  considered  in  the  first  year,  land  sur- 
veying, topographical  surveying  by  the  transit  and  stadia,  hydro- 
graphic  mining  and  city  surveying,  the  measurement  of  volume,  geo- 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  177 

deiic  surveying,  and  projection  of  maps.  (3)  Theory  of  structure, 
t  ^bracing  the  construction  of  foundations  in  all  classes  of  soils,  pile 
foundations  and  substructures,  stability  of  blocks  of  stone  or  brick 
entering  into  the  structure  of  walls  of  buildings,  arches,  retaining 
walls,  and  piers,  and  trigonometrical  calculations  of  strains  on  different 
varieties  of  framed  structures,  including  trussed  and  suspension  bridges, 
with  both  steady  and  rolling  beds.  (4)  Graphical  analysis  of  strains 
on  roof  and  bridge  trusses  and  other  framed  structures,  and  strains  on 
cables  and  other  portions  of  suspension  bridges. 

Fourth  year. — (1)  General  theory  of  equations  as  indicated  in  the 
fourth  year  of  pure  mathematics.  (2)  Wcisbach's  Mechanics.  The 
following  are  among  the  subjects  considered:  The  laws  governing 
motion  and  force,  statics  of  rigid  bodies,  theory  of  the  center  of  gravity 
in  surfaces  and  solids,  equilibrium  and  dynamical  stability  of  bodies 
rigidly  fastened,  resistance  of  friction,  elasticity  and  strength  of  flexure, 
hydraulics,  embracing  the  structure  and  use  of  hydraulic  machines,  the 
investigation  of  the  laws  which  govern  the  flow  of  water  from  reser- 
voirs, and  the  flow  of  water  in  rivers,  canals,  and  conduit  pipes,  and 
water  as  a  motor.  (3)  Lectures  on  the  history  of  architecture  and 
architectural  construction.  (4)  Special  classes,  open  to  all  students  in 
mechanical  drawing,  are  arranged  according  to  the  wants  of  the  appli- 
cants. 

Students  desiring  admission  to  this  course  are  subjected  to  an  exam- 
ination on  the  same  amount  of  mathematics  as  is  required  of  candidates 
entering  for  a  degree. 

The  objects  sought  to  be  attained  are,  in  the  freshman  mathematics: 
(1)  A  thorough  knowledge  of  the  elementary  principles  of  mathematical 
science,  which  will  prepare  the  student  for  any  advanced  mathematical 
work.  (2)  A  discipline  of  the  mind  to  careful  analysis  and  strict  logical 
methods  of  thought  and  the  development  of  the  reasoning  powers. 

In  the  higher  elective  classes  in  pure  mathematics:  (1)  Mental  dis- 
cipline for  those  students  who  do  not  intend  to  pursue  the  subject 
further.  (2)  A  thorough  mathematical  foundation  for  all  students  who 
desire  to  make  mathematical  studies  a  specialty. 

In  applied  mathematics:  (1)  The  application  of  the  principles  of  pure 
mathematics  to  the  practical  problems  of  mechanical  work  and  investi- 
gation. (2)  To  make  such  use  of  those  mathematical  and  mechanical 
works  within  the  time  allotted  to  the  course  as  will  enable  the  student 
in  the  future  to  pursue  by  himself  more  extended  works.  (3)  To  pre- 
pare students  in  engineering  to  enter  at  once  upon  field  and  office 
work. 


CHEMISTRY 


The  chemical  laboratory  is  open   to  students  from  8:30  a.  m.  to  2:30 

p.  in.  on  every  week  day  except  Saturday.     It  is  the  design  of  this 

department  to  afford  instruction  in  the  general  principles  of  chemistry, 

in  analytical  chemistry,  and  in  the  practical  applications  of  the  sub- 

1123  B  I 12 


178        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN   RHODE    ISLAND. 

jcct.  Attention  is  given  to  metallurgy,  medical  chemistry,  agricultural 
chemistry,  and  the  application  of  chemistry  to  manufacturing  processes. 

The  courses  are  not  confined  to  undergraduates — other  persons,  if 
prepared  to  pursue  the  study  to  advantage,  being  admitted;  but  a 
knowledge  of  the  general  principles  of  chemistry  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  profitable  study  in  any  of  the  more  advanced  courses. 

All  students  in  the  working  laboratory  are  required,  in  addition  to 
their  experimental  study,  to  attend  weekly  exercises  covering  a  review 
and  discussion  of  topics  in  general  chemistry.  The  subject  is  treated 
in  two  grand  divisions — inorganic  and  organic.  One  term  of  the  year 
it  includes  the  study  of  the  metals  and  nonmetals;  the  other  term, 
organic  chemistry.  These  exercises  are  supplemented  by  lectures, 
explaining  recent  progress  in  chemical  theory,  and  new  applications  of 
chemical  substances  and  new  inventions. 

PHYSICS. 

The  course  in  physics  begins  in  the  first  term  of  sophomore  year, 
with  the  study  of  the  principles  of  mechanics.  The  text-book  used  is 
Dana's  Elementary  Mechanics,  which  is  supplemented  by  experimental 
illustrations  in  the  class  room.  Three  hours  per  week  during  the  term 
are  devoted  to  this  subject. 

Sound,  light,  heat,  and  electricity  are  discussed  in  the  second  term 
of  sophomore  year,  three  hours  each  week,  in  lectures  abundantly  illus- 
trated by  experiments.  Frequent  examinations,  both  oral  and  in  writ- 
ing7  are  held  to  test  the  progress  of  the  class. 

PHYSICAL    LABORATORY. 

Wilson  Hall,  named  in  memory  of  its  donor,  the  late  Mr.  George  F. 
Wilson,  of  Providence,  is  now  completed  and  serves  as  the  physical 
laboratory  of  the  university.  The  structure  presents  a  front  on  the 
middle  campus  of  84  feet,  and  extends  eastward  106  feet,  with  a  height 
of  70  feet.  It  is  built  of  granite  and  sandstone,  with  special  regard  to 
the  solidity  required  for  the  purpose  in  view  in  its  erection.  It  contains 
rooms  for  laboratory  and  class  work,  a  large  lecture  room,  a  workshop 
for  wood  and  metals,  and  also  private  rooms  for  special  researches; 
and  it  is  liberally  supplied  with  the  appliances  and  apparatus  required 
in  experimental  mechanics  and  physics. 

After  the  completion  of  this  building  ample  opportunity  was  pro- 
vided for  laboratory  work  in  physics.  The  following  laboratory  courses 
are  now  offered :  (a)  A  course  in  mechanical  experiment  and  construc- 
tion, intended  to  meet  the  needs  of  those  expecting  to  follow  mechan- 
ical pursuits,  (b)  A  general  experimental  course  in  sound,  light,  heat, 
and  electricity,  intended  for  such  as  propose  to  teach  these  subjects. 
(c)  A  special  course  in  electricity. 

Opportunities  for  special  investigations  are  afforded  for  advanced 
students. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  179 

ASTRONOMY. 

The  courses  of  study  at  present  offered  in  astronomy  are  two:  (1)  A 
lecture  course  in  descriptive  astronomy.  (2)  A  laboratory  course  in 
practical  astronomy.  The  former  is  designed  to  acquaint  the  student 
with  the  fundamental  conceptions  of  the  science,  the  methods  of  its 
professional  study,  and  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  of  the 
heavenly  bodies.  A  general  treatise  of  astronomy  is  made  the  basis  of 
the  course,  and  is  supplemented  by  lectures  and  by  abstracts  prepared 
by  members  of  the  class  upon  assigned  topics.  The  latter  is  a  technical 
study  of  the  theory  of  astronomical  instruments  and  practice  in  their 
use.  The  sextant,  transit,  zenith  telescope,  and  equatorial  are  taken 
up  in  turn,  and  problems,  such  as  the  determination  of  time  and  lati- 
tude, are  solved  by  actual  observation  and  calculation. 

THE  LADD  "ASTRONOMICAL    OBSERVATORY. 

The  facilities  for  instruction  in  astronomy  were  greatly  increased  by 
the  erection  in  1891  of  an  astronomical  observatory,  through  the  lib- 
erality of  his  excellency,  Governor  H.  W.  Ladd.  The  observatory  is 
equipped  with  an  equatorial  telescope  of  12  inches  aperture,  supplied 
with  a  micrometer,  spectroscope,  and  other  attachments;  two  transit 
instruments,  one  of  which  can  be  used  as  a  zenith  telescope  5  astronom- 
ical clocks  and  minor  instruments.  On  the  completion  of  this  observ- 
atory additional  courses  of  undergraduate  study  were  offered,  and 
opportunity  was  given  for  advanced  study  leading  to  graduate  degrees. 
It  is  also  expected  that  certain  astronomical  investigations  will  be  reg- 
ularly carried  on. 

ZOOLOGY    AND    GEOLOGY. 

Zoology  is  taught  in  the  second  college  half  year  by  lectures,  frequent 
examinations,  and  laboratory  work.  It  is  the  aim  to  adapt  the  lectures 
to  the  needs  of  the  general  student.  It  is  taken  for  granted  that  no 
liberally  educated  person  should  be  without  a  general  knowledge  of 
the  principles  of  biology,  the  laws  of  animal  morphology,  the  relations 
of  animals  to  the  world  about  them  and  to  man,  and  the  probable  mode 
of  their  origin. 

The  laboratory  work  is  a  course  on  comparative  anatomy.  The 
student  is  required  to  draw  and  to  dissect  the  most  important  types 
of  the  animal  kingdom,  viz7  a  starfish,  clam,  lobster,  grasshopper, 
beetle,  butterfly,  a  fish,  frog,  bird,  and  mammal.  He  is  required  to 
examine  and  draw  portions  of  the  skeleton  of  each  type  of  vertebrates, 
including  a  comparative  study  of  limbs.  The  structure  of  cells  and  of 
the  protozoa,  as  well  as  of  the  sponges,  is  demonstrated.  The  course  is 
designed  to  be  of  value  to  one  intending  to  study  medicine,  as  one-half 
of  the  term's  work  is  devoted  to  a  study  of  the  vertebrate  animals. 
The  course  has  been  enlarged,  and  more  time  is  given  at  the  end  of  the 
course  to  anthropology,  or  the  natural  history  of  man. 


180        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

Special  facilities  are  offered  to  anyone  desiring  to  do  more  advanced 
work  in  zoology. 

Specimens  of  the  following  rarer  types  have  lately  been  added  for  use 
in  this  department:  African  lung-fish  (Protopterus)  Polypterus,  Siren, 
Aihphiuma,  Ccecilia,  and  a  skin  and  skeleton  of  the  Australian  spiny 
ant-eater  (Echidna}-,  also  skeletons  and  other  osteological  preparations 
of  fishes,  batrachians,  lizards,  birds,  and  mammals.  Collections  illus- 
trating the  invertebrate,  crustacean,  fish,  amphibian,  reptilian,  and 
bird  fauna  of  Rhode  Island  have  been  set  apart  in  the  museum;  and 
valuable  histological  and  embryological  preparations  have  been  added. 

Instruction  in  geology  is  given  during  the  first  college  half  year  by 
means  of  lectures,  laboratory  work,  and  field  excursions,  with  especial 
reference  to  the  geology,  structural  and  economic,  of  Rhode  Island. 
The  lectures  are  illustrated  by  diagrams,  models  in  wood  and  plaster, 
and  fossils.  During  1885  the  paleontological  collection  was  rearranged 
and  labeled  for  the  use  of  students.  The  fossil  flora  of  Rhode  Island 
is  fully  represented,  and  important  animal  remains  (Jf  the  Rhode  Island 
carboniferous  rocks  were  added  in  1888  and  1889. 

The  laboratory  work  comprises  an  elementary  course  in  mineralogy 
and  lithology.  Many  duplicate  crystals  have  been  purchased,  and  the 
students  are  allowed  to  nse  them  freely  in  their  work.  A  special  col- 
lection of  Rhode  Island  minerals  and  rocks  has  been  formed  and 
additional  European  educational  specimens  secured. 

Two  large  models,  including  one  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  bottom,  and  a 
model  of  the  Caribbean  Sea  bottom,  from  the  office  of  the  U.  S.  Hydro- 
graphic  Bureau,  Washington,  were  deposited  in  1889  in  the  lecture 
room,  through  the  kindness  of  Commander  Bartlett,  U.  S.  Navy. 

The  lectures  on  prehistoric  anthropology,  at  the  close  of  the  geologi- 
cal course,  were  in  1889-'90,  illustrated  by  prehistoric  implements  of 
stone,  bone,  and  bronze,  with  casts,  models,  and  photographs,  either 
collected  or  purchased  by  the  professor  in  charge  of  this  department 
in  1889  in  France,  Italy,  and  England,  and  especially  from  the  lake 
dwellings  in  Switzerland.  The  funds  for  these  purchases  were  fur- 
nished by  an  alumnus  of  the  university. 

PHYSIOLOGY. 

During  the  first  half  year  a  number  of  lectures  are  given  the  fresh- 
man class  upon  matters  relating  to  personal  hygiene.  Attention  is 
called  to  the  important  laws  of  health,  and  practical  advice  given  in 
regard  to  exercise,  hours  for  study  and  sleep,  the  care  of  the  digestive 
functions  and  the  eyesight,  and  other  matters  in  which  the  habits  of 
students  are  so  often  faulty. 

In  the  junior  year  elementary  instruction  is  given  in  anatomy  and 
physiology,  the  subjects  being  considered  from  a  scientific  rather  than 
from  a  practical  standpoint.  The  object  of  these  lectures  is  to  lay  the 
foundation  for  a  study  of  the  morphology  of  the  lower  animals,  those 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  181 

organs  and  functions  which  are  of  particular  interest  in  this  connection 
receiving  the  most  attention. 


BOTANY. 


Instruction  in  botany  is  given  by  means  of  lectures  and  laboratory 
practice.  The  course  occupies  two  years. 

The  first  year  is  devoted  to  general  morphology,  practice  in  analyz- 
ing and  describing  plants,  and  the  preparation  of  a  small  herbarium. 
A  few  difficult  families,  such  as  Compositce,  Cruciferce,  and  Umbelli- 
ferce  are  specially  treated.  Field  excursions  to  neighboring  points  of 
interest  and  visits  to  conservatories  are  made.  Collateral  reading  is 
required.  For  this  purpose  every  student  must  read  and  prepare  a 
digest  of  at  least  2  books  from  a  given  list  per  term. 

In  the  second  year  the  study  of  the  more  difficult  families  is  con- 
tinued for  a  few  weeks.  Histological  work  is  then  taken  up,  and  the 
preparation  of  microscopic  objects.  At  the  same  time  there  are  lec- 
tures on  vegetable  physiology,  geographical  botany,  etc.  Collateral 
reading  is  again  required,  with  an  occasional  paper  on  some  given 
subject. 

Each  student  is  expected  to  pay  a  small  fee  per  term  for  the  pur- 
chase of  specimens  used  in  class  work.  Original  work  and  observa- 
tion is  encouraged.  Students  are  required  and  encouraged  to  make 
illustrative  drawings  from  the  objects  studied.  It  is  designed  in  all 
cases  to  foster  independent  reasoning  and  thoughtful  comparison. 


THE    HERBARIA. 


The  large  and  extremely  valuable  collection  bequeathed  to  the  uni- 
versity by  the  late  Stephen  Thayer  Oluey  is  housed  in  Manning  Hall. 
The  botanical  lecture  room  is  adjoining,  with  its  appliances  for  study. 
To  the  original  herbarium  there  have  been  added  those  of  Mr.  James 
L.  Bennett,  of  Providence,  Dr.  C.  M.  Brownell,  of  Hartford,  and  the 
cosmopolitan  collection  of  ferns  presented  by  Miss  Stout,  of  New 
York,  in  memory  of  her  brother.  There  is  also  a  yearly  increment 
from  exchange,  and  from  the  additions  made  by  the  curator  to  his  per- 
sonal gift.  Under  proper  restrictions  the  herbaria  are  made  accessible 
to  the  public  and  to  students.  An  increasing  number  of  professional 
botanists  consult  it,  and  every  courtesy  is  extended  to  them  and  to 
visitors  generally. 


AGRICULTURE. 


The  course  of  instruction  in  agriculture  includes  the  courses  in  the 
preparatory  branches,  chemistry,  physics,  botany.,  physiology,  zoology, 
and  comparative  anatomy.  It  also  embraces  special  lectures  on  agri- 
culture. These  relate  to  the  study  of  soils  and  to  applied  economic 
zoology,  according  to  the  following  schedule  of  topics: 

Introduction :  History  of  agriculture,  tracing  its  development  through 


182        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

the  Jewish,  Grecian,  Roman,  Spanish,  and  English  nations  to  the  for- 
mation of  agricultural  and  horticultural  societies  in  the  United  States, 
with  a  brief  account  of  the  earlier  ones  formed  within  the  years  from 
1785  to  1829,  inclusive.  The  subject  is  then  continued  by  the  discus- 
sion of  the  following  topics:  (1)  Primary  condition  of  matter;  (2)  for- 
mation of  soil  from  inorganic  elements;  (3)  source  of  organic  matter; 
(4)  constituents  of  plants  required  by  soil;  (5)  constituents  of  soil  in 
the  mass;  (G)  results  of  experiments  with  unfertilized  and  fertilized 
soils;  (7)  composition  of  fertile  soil;  (8)  cardinal  law  in  agriculture; 
(0)  rotation  of  crops;  (10)  discriminating  application  of  fertilizers. 

Under  the  general  head  of  economic  zoology  are  discussed  the  dis- 
tinctive characteristic  of  the  most  approved  breeds  of  both  neat  cattle 
and  horses.  Practical  instruction  is  given  by  the  visiting  of  farms  and 
in  obtaining  and  preserving  specimens  in  natural  history.  Taxidermy 
is  also  taught  when  desired  by  the  class. 

WILSON   HALL. 

By  the  will  of  the  late  George  F.  Wilson,  of  Providence,  the  sum  of 
$100,000  was  bequeathed  to  the  corporation  of  Brown  University,  "for 
a  building  devoted  to  scientific  purposes."  It  was  decided  that  this 
sum  should  be  applied  to  the  construction  of  a  physical  laboratory,  to 
be  called  Wilson  Hall.  In  June,  1887,  a  committee  was  appointed  by 
the  corporation  to  obtain  plans  and  superintend  the  erection  of  the 
building.  The  plans  submitted  by  Messrs.  Gould  and  Angell,  of  Prov- 
idence, were  accepted  by  the  committee  in  November,  1888,  and  work 
was  begun  June  6,  1889.  The  building  is  designed  in  a  style  of 
Romanesque  architecture,  modified  to  suit  the  special  purpose  for 
which  it  was  erected.  Its  exterior  is  of  granite  and  sandstone,  and 
has  a  front  of  84  feet  and  a  depth  of  10G  feet.  The  total  floor  area  is 
about  14,600  square  feet.  It  is  constructed  in  the  most  thorough  man- 
ner with  a  view  to  the  greatest  solidity  and  freedom  from  vibration. 
In  front  and  rear  the  building  contains  three  stories,  while  iivthe  cen- 
tral part  there  are  four.  By  this  arrangement  a  number  of  smaller 
rooms  are  provided  for  storing  apparatus — for  special  research — private 
rooms  for  the  professors  and  assistants,  while  the  class  rooms  are 
ample  and  lofty. 

The  building  is  heated  by  direct  radiation  from  steam  pipes,  steam 
being  supplied  from  an  outside  station,  so  that  there  is  no  dust  from 
coal  or  ashes  to  be  feared.  In  that  portion  of  the  laboratory  devoted 
to  magnetism  both  steam  and  gas  pipes  are  of  brass. 

In  the  lower  laboratory  stand  two  piers,  one  14  feet  long  by  3  feet 
wide,  built  up  of  solid  masonry  from  the  ground  to  the  height  of  an 
ordinary  working  table,  the  other  10  feet  long  by  4J  feet  wide  and  of 
the  same  height  as  the  preceding.  This  not  only  serves  as  a  good 
working  pier,  but  also  supports  an  arch  of  solid  masonry,  surmounted 
by  a  beveled  slab  of  stone  11  feet  long  by  3  feet  wide,  which  comes 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  183 

flush  with  the  laboratory  room  above.  Upon  this  slab  the  working 
table  may  be  placed,  or  be  removed  at  will,  leaving  the  entire,  floor 
space  free.  In  the  lecture  room  the  lecture  desk  is  supported  on  a 
similar  slab,  12  by  3J  feet,  resting  on  a  pier  of  masonry  and  flush  with 
the  platform.  All  the  piers  are  kept  entirely  free  from  the  flooring. 
Besides  the  piers,  stone  slabs  supported  on  brackets  bnilt  into  the 
outer  walls  have  been  provided  as  working  tables,  since  experience 
seems  to  show  that  their  stability  compares  very  favorably  with  that 
of  the  piers  themselves.  Similar  slabs  are  provided  outside  of  such 
windows  as  seemed  likely  to  be  available  for  the  heliostat. 

One  10-horse  power  Otto  gas  engine  furnishes  power  for  the  mechan- 
ical and  electrical  work  to  be  done,  and  it  is  proposed  to  give  special 
attention  to  these  branches  of  physics.  For  the  present  a  larger  share  of 
purely  constructive  work  is  planned  for  than  perhaps  properly  belongs  to 
a  physical  laboratory  in  the  higher  sense,  but  a  movement  is  on  foot 
which  promises  ultimately  to  enable  us  to  create  a  special  department  of 
applied  mechanics,  in  which  case  such  work  will  be  transferred  to 
another  building. 

PRESENT   POLICY. 

In  an  interview  with  President  Andrews  with  reference  to  what,  so 
far  as  he  could  say,  would  be  the. policy  of  the  university,  he  said  that 
it  would  be  his  aim  to  make  Brown  the  peer  of  any  college  in  the  laud. 
A  movement  is  now  on  foot  to  raise  funds,  half  a  million  or  more,  as 
may  be  necessary,  which  are  to  be  devoted  to  the  organization  and 
maintenance  of  a  school  of  applied  science.  A  large  class  in  the 
community  is  obliged  to  go  out  of  the  State  for  a  technical  training. 
There  is  a  demand  for  such  a  school  and  it  would  receive  the  support 
of  all  those  interested  in  industrial  pursuits.  Such  a  school  should 
have  a  department  of  design  to  which  a  student  could  come  for  that 
one  branch.  He  would  favor  that  those  following  its  regular  courses 
should  take  courses  in  political  economy,  English  literature,  and  the 
modern  languages,  in  order  that  the  student  might  come  out  not  merely 
with  an  education  that  will  enable  him  to  earn  a  livelihood,  but  with 
a  liberal  education. 

The  university  is  the  only  one  in  the  State,  and  it  should  be  made  a 
factor  for  good  to  all.  A  liberal  education  is  of  necessity  acquired 
but  by  few  in  a  community,  and  is  not  fully  appreciated  by  the  many. 
President  Andrews  favors  such  a  movement  as  one  that  would  deepen 
the  hold  of  the  college  on  the  people.  We  would  like  to  inaugurate  this 
very  winter,  if  possible,  and,  if  not,  as  soon  as  it  may  be  possible,  a 
system  of  university  extension.  We  would  have  instructors  from  all 
of  the  departments  of  the  university  go  to  Pawtucket,  Newport,  Fall 
Eiver,  or  any  part  of  the  State  where  classes  might  be  formed.  In  this 
way  the  university  could  be  brought  to  the  people  and  they  would  be 
made  to  feel  its  influence. 


184        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

At  the  opening  of  the  academic  year  of  1890,  arrangements  will  be 
made  for  obtaining  instruction  in  electrical  engineering,  under  the 
charge  of  a  competent  instructor.  Wilson  Hall  contains  the  latest  and 
most  improved  facilities  in  the  department  of  physics. 

Then,  too,  there  are  exceptional  advantages  in  the  city  of  Provi- 
dence for  what  the  university  Avould  offer  were  there  a  faculty  of  law. 

To  begin  hero  a  good  course  iu  law  would  not,  however,  be  costly,  and  there  is 
much  not  only  to  render  effort  in  that  direction  desirable,  but  also  to  assure  its  suc- 
cess. The  university  once  had  a  law  department,  or  a*  least  a  professor  in  that 
branch.  The  common  law  preferences  and  procedure  characteristic  of  the  Rhode 
Island  judicial  system  render  a  law  school  almost  a  necessity  in  this  State.  A  noble 
law  library  is  at  our  doors.  Courts  in  all  varieties,  Federal,  State,  and  municipal, 
before  which  are  to  be  heard  some  of  the  greatest  lawyers  of  the  land,  are  in  opera- 
tion within  ten  minutes'  walk  of  our  chapel.  At  the  start,  three  new  professors 
would  suffice;  and  we  should  have  a  law  class  of  40  or  50  the  first  term. 

But  while  there  are  magnificent  opportunities  from  a  school  of  applied 
science,  from  university  extension,  and  from  a  faculty  of  law,  it  has 
been  and  still  is  his  cherished  purpose  to  broaden  and  deepen  the 
present  foundations.  The  courses  in  Latin,  Greek,  the  sciences,  mathe- 
matics, and  modern  languages  would  be  made  so  broad  and  thorough 
that  Brown  would  rank  among  the  leading  colleges  of  the  land. 
The  education  should  be  such  that  the  student  while  specializing 
would  not  be  a  mere  specialist.  He  should  be  taught  to  use  his 
mind.  Laboratories,  while  showing  him  how  to  do  so,  should  be  so 
utilized  that  the  mind  would  be  made  still  more  effective.  The  whole 
trend  of  the  education  should  be  towards  the  development  of  the  mind 
by  the  roundness  of  an  education  truly  liberal.  Brown  is  cosmopolitan 
in  the  personnel  of  the  students.  Although  the  college  is  denomina- 
tional, students  representing  nearly  all  the  various  denominations  come 
here.  The  contact  of  the  men  from  the  various  sections  of  the  country 
is  an  important  element  in  the  education  which  is  here  received.  A 
student  thus  learns  that  there  are  44  States  besides  his  own  comprising 
the  Union. 

The  following  extracts  are  made  from  President  Andrews's  report  to 
the  corporation  for  1889->90: 

We  do  well,  in  view  of  this  and  such  positions  which  we  shall  have  to  equip  as 
the  years  pass,  to  direct,  so  far  as  possible,  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  the  advanced 
studies  of  our  most  brilliant  graduates.  A  system  of  home  and  traveling  fellowships 
would  immensely  aid  us  in  this.  Four  hundred  dollars  a  year  would  support  a  grad- 
uate student  at  home;  $500  abroad.  Gifts  of  these  sums  for  these  purposes,  or,  bet- 
ter, of  foundations  assuring  them,  would  be  among  the  most  acceptable  means  for 
promoting  high  scholarship  among  us.  While  I  hope  that  we  shall  never  fill  our 
faculty  with  mere  specialists,  it  is  no  longer  safe  to  depend  for  men  to  become  pro- 
fessors upon  specially  apt  general  scholars,  promoted  without  particular  training, 
from  the  ranks  of  the  various  learned  professions.  Nor  is  there  any  excuse  for  doing 
this,  since  there  is  talent  enough  available  for  all  required  teaching,  if  it  is  only 
sought  out  and  guided.  Our  range  of  choice  being  so  wide,  contracts  with  instructors 
should  be  strictly  construed  as  holding  only  from  year  to  year,  so  that  none  need  be 
retained  who  do  not  give  promise  of  uncommon  success.  New  professors,  too,  unless 
men  of  settled  reputation,  should  be  engaged  at  first  for  but  three  or  live  years,  leav- 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  185 

ing  the  university  in  condition  to  relieve  itself  of  any  who  may  prove  inert,  inapt, 
or  without  ambition.  The  literary  institutions  of  the  country  suffer  distressingly 
to-day  from  professors  and  other  officers  who,  sure  of  their  tenure,  have  remitted 
zeal  and  come  to  treat  their  positions  as  a  mere  convenience. 

Let  none  of  the  above  suggestions  touching  our  needs  be  taken  as  a  complaint. 
The  prospects  for  our  university  seem  to  me  to  be,  on  the  whole,  very  encouraging. 
We  may  look  for  a  considerable  accession,  in  the  course  of  years,  to  the  number  of 
our  students;  and  if  we  display  progress,  proper  enterprise,  and  sound  financial 
wisdom,  wo  shall,  I  believe,  secure  abundant  funds. 

Supposing  that  we  may  hope  for  advance,  what  ought  to  be  our  policy?  My  sen- 
tence is  that  we  should  toil  primarily,  sedulously,  unremittingly,  and  always  to 
enlarge  and  strengthen  the  old  plant,  to  make  even  better,  richer,  wider,  that  genu- 
inely liberal  education  which  it  has  for  a  century  and  a  quarter  been  the  pride  of 
Brown  University  to  give.  However  the  curriculum  may  expand,  the  aim  in  this 
part  of  our  work  should  never  change. 

But  to  perfect  the  plant  as  is  desirable,  not  to  speak  of  remote  requirements,  sev- 
eral new  professorships  are  needed— a  professorship  qf  European  history,  a  profes- 
sorship of  political  and  social  science,  a  professorship  of  philosophy,  a  professorship 
of  English  and  Am<  rican  literature  apart  from  rhetoric,  and  a  professorship  of  the 
history  and  criticism  of  the  fine  arts.  We  must  speedily  have,  besides,  an  assistant 
professor  in  chemistry  and  another  in  physics. 

With  such  an  increase  of  force — indispensable,  whether  we  wish  to  furnish  the 
ideal  liberal  education  or  only  to  compete  with  other  good  institutions — we  shall 
be  enabled  to  attain  a  second  most  valuable  end — the  establishment  of  a  graduate 
course. 

HISTORICAL   AND   ECONOMIC    ASSOCIATION. 

The  University  during  the  year  1888-'89,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Brown  University  Historical  and  Economic  Association,  maintained 
two  courses  of  lectures.  These  were  held  in  Manning  Hall,  and  were 
open  to  the  public.  Large  audiences  showed  the  interest  which  was 
manifested. 

In  1889-'90  there  were  two  courses,  one  of  G  lectures  on  The  State 
and  Social  Reform,  and  the  other  of  4  lectures  on  Railroad  Problems. 
The  lecturers  in  the  first  course  were:  Prof.  Woodrow  Wilson,  LL.  D.,  of 
Wesley  an  University ;  Rev.  John  G.  Brooks,  of  Brockton,  Mass.;  Hon. 
Francis  Wayland,  LL.  D.,  of  Yale  University;  Prof.  F.  W.  Taussig,  of 
Harvard  University;  Gen.  Francis  A.  Walker,  LL.  D.,  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Institute  of  Technology ;  Rev.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  D.  D.  ;  and 
in  the  second  course  Prof.  Davis  R.  Dewey,  of  the  Massachusetts  Insti- 
tute of  Technology;  Edward  Atkinson,  esq.,  of  Boston;  Prof.  Henry 
B.  Gardner,  of  Brown  University;  Dr.  Edwin  R.  A.  Seligrnan,  of  Colum- 
bia College,  and  Alfred  Stone,  esq.,  of  Providence. 

During  the  winter  of  1890  '91  there  were  two  courses,  the  first  on 
the  History  of  Political  Parties  in  the  United  States;  the  second  on 
Money.  The  lecturers  in  the  first  course  and  their  subjects  were  as  fol- 
lows: Hon.  Andrew  D.  White,  LL.  D.,  ex-president  of  Cornell  Univer- 
sity, The  Influence  of  America  on  the  French  Revolution;  Prof.  Anson 
D.  Morse,  of  Amherst  College,  Political  Parties;  their  Nature,  Uses,  and 
Claims;  Prof.  J.  F.  Jameson,  of  Brown  University,  The  Origin  of  Par- 
ties in  the  United  States;  Prof.  Anson  D.  Morse,  The  Parties  of  the 


186        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

Federalist  Period ;  Prof.  Charles  H.  Levermore,  of  the  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Technology,  The  Eiseof  the  Whig  Party  and  of  Jacksonian 
Democracy. 

The  lecturers  in  the  second  course  and  their  subjects  were  as  follows: 
Dr.  E.  B.  Andrews,  president  of  the  University,  The  History  of  Our 
Silver  Dollar;  Prof.  F.  W.  Taussig,  of  Harvard  University,  The  Silver 
Situation  in  the  United  States;  Hon.  Nelson  W.  Aldrich,  of  the  United 
States  Senate,  The  Future  of  Silver;  Mr.  Willard  C.  Fisher,  instructor 
in  Brown  University,  Do  We  Need  More  Money?;  Prof.  J.  Laurence 
Lauglilin,  of  Cornell  University,  The  Subtreasury  System. 

UNIVERSITY  EXTENSION. 

As  early  as  1785  a  course  of  public  lectures  was  given  in  the  State 
House,  under  the  auspices  of  the  university.  Under  the  presidency 
of  Dr.Wayland,  the  professor  in  chemistry  offered  to  the  mechanics 
and  artisans  of  Providence  a  course  of  8  lectures  in  The  Chemistry 
of  the  Precious  Metals.  Within  recent  years  courses  of  a  general 
nature  have  been  given  in  Manning  Hall,  and  the  public  has  been 
invited.  The  Historical  and  Economic  Association  of  Brown  Univer- 
sity, for  the  last  five  years  has  offered  2  courses  each  year  in  the 
field  of  history  and  politics.  But  in  the  winter  of  1S90-'91  a  course 
in  university  extension  was  started  in  Pawtucket,  a  manufacturing 
and  industrial  center.  This  course  was  experimental,  but  so  successful 
as  to  encourage  the  introduction  of  similar  courses  in  other  cities  in 
the  State. 

The  following  announcement  of  the  scheme  was  given  a  wide  distri- 
bution in  the  city : 

RHODE   ISLAND    UNIVERSITY  EXTENSION. 

After  the  example  of  the  great  English  universities,  it  is  proposed  to  open  in  the 
high  school  building  in  Pawtucket,  soon  after  January  1,  1891,  provided  that  by 
this  date  fifteen  applications  for  each  course  have' been  received,  two  courses  of 
thorough  scientific  lectures  by  members  of  the  faculty  of  Brown  University,  one  on 
astronomy,  the  other  on  botany,  each  course  consisting  of  12  lectures.  If  they 
prove  to  meet  a  public  want,  these  courses  will  bo  followed  in  subsequent  years  by 
thofiameand  by  similar  ones  on  other  subjects,  covering  in  a  few  seasons  the  entire 
round  of  science,  philosophy,  and  literature,  so  far  as  such  subjects  can  be  presented 
in  the  English  language.  The  lectures,  while  as  free  as  possible  from  mere  techni- 
calities, and  open  to  persons  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages,  will  be  intended  not  for  the 
curious,  but  only  for  thoughtful  and  studious  people,  clergymen,  teachers,  clerks, 
mechanics,  and  others  who  are  willing  to  pursue  attentively  at  least  one  entire 
course.  At  the  end  of  each  course  pupils  who  desire  will  be  examined,  and,  if  they 
pass,  receive  a  certificate  of  that  fact.  Those  who  pass  in  ten  courses,  making  up  a 
"  cycle/'  will  receive  an  engraved  diploma,  constituting  them  members  of  the  Rhode 
Island  University  Extension. 

The  fees  will  be  $3  for  each  person  for  each  course,  with  50  cents  additional  per 
person  for  each  examination.  Persons  desiring  to  take  one  or  both  of  the  above 
courses  are  requested  to  register  their  names  at  once  with  the  superintendent  of 
schools,  Pawtucket.  For  further  information  apply  to 

E.  BENJ.  ANDREWS. 

BROWN  UNIVERSITY,  November  1,  1890. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  187 

The  superintendent  of  public  schools  sent  circulars  like  the  follow- 
ing' to  the  manufacturers,  who  put  them  in  the  hands  of  their  opera- 
tives : 

PAWTUCKET.  R.  I.,  December  18,  1S90. 

Ill  cooperation  with  President  Andrews,  of  Brown  University,  I  am  trying  to 
spread  tlio  knowledge  of  the  university  extension  as  widely  as  possible.  It  is 
desired  especially  t»  reach  the  more  intelligent  laboring  classes. 

May  I  trespass  upon  your  good  nature  to  the  extent  of  asking  you  to  post  one  of 
the  inclosed  circulars  where  it  will  be  seen  by  your  employes,  and  to  have  the 
others  handed  to  persons  likely  to  be  interested.  I  shall  be  glad  to  send  more  circu- 
lars if  desired. 

Trusting  that  you  will  be  interested  in  advancing  the  movement,  and  thanking 
you  for  your  trouble  in  the  matter,  I  am, 
Yours,  sincerely, 

HENRY  M.  MAXSON, 
Superintendent  of  Public  Schools. 

The  programme  of  the  courses  given  stated : 

In  carrying  out  the  proposed  plan  of  putting  the  advantages  of  the  university 
within  the  reach  of  every  person,  without  regard  to  his  residence  or  circumstances, 
the  president  and  professors  of  Brown  University  have  arranged  for  this  year  the 
following  courses  of  lectures  to  be  given  at  the  Pawtucket  high  school.  There  are 
12  lectures  in  each  course,  one  occurring  each  successive  week  at  8  p.  in.,  astronomy 
beginning  January  12;  botany,  January  14;  German  literature,  January  17. 

Astronomy,  by  Prof.  Winslow  Upton. 

The  course  will  treat  upon  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  the  diurnal  motion 
of  the  heavens,  the  annual  motion  of  the  sun,  the  motion  of  the  moon,  planetary 
motions,  and  stellar  motions,  describing  each  in  its  turn  and  referring  it  to  its  true 
cause.  The  results  of  their  combinations  will  be  discussed  and  certain  practical 
applications  shown  as  they  are  used  in  measuring  time  and  arranging  the  calendar. 

Botany,  by  Prof.  W.  W.  Bailey. 

This  course  will  be  essentially  practical,  the  aim  being  to  give  each  member  of 
the  class  the  ability  to  take  up  and  continue  the  study  and  classification  of  plants  by 
himself  after  the  course  has  been  finished.  The  class  will  bo  set  to  work,  flower 
and  microscope  in  hand,  after  the  class-room  method  used  in  the  university. 

German  literature,  by  Prof.  Alonzo  Williams. 

Considering  the  place  of  literature  in  education,  the  land,  the  people,  language, 
and  literature  of  ancient  Germany,  the  great  epics  of  the  language,  with  a  treat- 
ment of  the  various  eras  and  possibly  some  verse  translations  and  discussion  of  the 
Niebelungenlied  and  Parzival.  This  course  will  be  given  in  English  and  will  be 
interesting  and  instructive  to  those  who  know  nothing  of  the  German  language,  as 
well  as  to  those  who  do,  and  should  appeal  to  every  student  and  lover  of  literature. 
It  has  been  decided  to  hold  this  class  also  in  the  evening  instead  of  the  afternoon, 
as  at  first  talked. 

Each  student  can  take  one  course  or  more,  as  ho  wishes;  ho  can  devote  extra  time 
to  study  or  not,  as  his  circumstances  permit;  there  will  bo  no  examination  except 
for  those  who  desire  it. 

It  is  not  a  money-making  scheme,  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  an  ordinary  lecture 
course.  It  is  simply  and  solely  a  plan  to  give  everyone,  regardless  of  occupation 
or  circumstances,  an  opportunity  to  get  some  of  the  benefits  of  a  college  education. 


188        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 


The  fee  is  $3  for  each  course  of  lectures,  It  is  desirable  that  names  should  be 
previously  sent  to  me  at  Music  Hall,  but  persons  may  join  the  opening  night  if  this 
is  not  convenient. 

The  specimen  card  gives  the  details  of  the  course  affecting  the  stu- 
dent : 

[Preserve  this.] 
RHODE   ISLAND   UNIVERSITY  EXTENSION. 

CARD   OF  MATRICULATION.1 

The  holder2  of  this  card,  M  — ,  of  ,  has  been  enrolled  and  examined3  in 

[Name  in  full.] 
Rhode  Island  University  extension  courses,  as  indicated  below : 


Name  of  course. 

Date  of 

begin- 
ning. 

Fee,  $3.4 

Signature    of   in- 
structor. 

Date  of 

examina- 
tion* and 

result. 

Signature  of    ex- 
aminer. 

Fee,  50 
cental 

*No  person  is  a  member  of  the  class  who  has  not  a  matriculation  card.  Each  card  has  spaces  for 
10  courses,  or  a  cycle. 

2  Let  the  pupil  write  his  or  her  name  in  full,  and  residence.  The  instructor  will  then  write  in  the 
proper  places  the  name  of  the  course,  the  date  of  beginning  it,  and  the  word  "paid''  when  the  fee 
is  collected. 

8No  examination  is  required,  but  any  pupil  who  desires  can  be  examined  in  any  course.  Examina- 
tions passed  in  10  courses,  or  a  cycle,  entitle  to  a  diploma. 

4Fees  are  due  in  advance.  The  word  "paid  "  in  this  space,  in  the  handwriting  of  the  instructor,  is- 
a  sufficient  receipt  for  the  fee. 

fiWrite  "passed"  or  "failed."    Fee  must  be  paid  in  either  case. 

6 The  word  "paid"  in  this  space,  in  the  handwriting  of  the  examiner  (usually  the  same  as  the 
instructor),  is  a  sufficient  receipt. 

While  these  courses  are  experimental,  the  indications  show  a  spirit 
of  appreciation  on  the  part  of  those  following  them.  By  February  1, 
1891,  the  average  attendance  was  30,  a  few  students  taking  the  3 
courses,  but  the  majority  following  1.  The  students  are  chiefly  from 
the  professional  classes,  and  the  cooperation  of  those  engaged  in 
industrial  pursuits  has  not  been  so  largely  secured  as  could  be  wished. 

President  Andrews  expressed  himself  as  pleased  with  the  initiative 
courses,  and  has  organized  others  in  different  parts  of  the  State. 

PROFESSOR    GAMMELL. 

In  the  history  of  an  institution  of  learning  there  are  certain  profess- 
ors who  stand  out  in  bold  relief.  They  have  not  been  content  simply 
to  do  well  what  have  been  their  allotted  tasks,  but  they  have  recog- 
nized the  high  possibilities  of  their  calling.  Men  of  strong  person- 
ality, they  have  left  impressions  of  character  on  their  students,  who 
will  remember  these  lessons  long  after  those  of  the  class  room  have 
faded  from  memory. 


BROWN   UNIVERSITY.  189 

Such  men  knew  that  they  had  the  possibilities  of  molding  the  lives 
and  shaping  the  character  of  their  pupils.  How  well  they  succeeded 
may  be  seen  in  the  tributes  of  respect  and  gratitude  whieh  are  paid 
by  their  students  when  they  learn  that  they,  in  common  with  their  col- 
lege, are  called  to  mourn  the  departure  of  an  honored  teacher.  Many 
such  tributes  bear  testimony  to  the  fact  that  aspirations  were  aroused 
and  noble  purposes  were  deepened  by  the  contact  and  by  the  influence 
of  a  manly  professor. 

It  has  been  the  rare  good  fortune  of  Brown  that  she  has  always  had 
men  like  these,  either  in  the  active  labors  of  the  academic  staff  or  in  the 
prudent  counselings  of  governing  boards.  Many  of  these  men  came 
under  the  influence  of  Wayland  during  his  presidency,  and  they  in  tarn 
testify  their  indebtedness  to  him.  It  is  admitted  that  the  influence  of 
Wayland  in  the  history  of  the  college  has  been  most  productive  of  good, 
and  his  successors,  as  they  have  approached  his  characteristics,  have 
received  an  additional  word  of  praise. 

Prof.  William  Gamniell,  whose  death  occurred  in  1889,  was  one  of 
the  names  that  the  university  will  cherish.  Although  he  left  the  aca- 
demic chair  in  1867,  he  had  not  ceased  to  identify  himself  with  the 
university.  After  thirty -two  years  of  service,  as  tutor  and  professor, 
he  withdrew  in  the  prime  of  his  powers.  His  influence  may  be  said  to 
have  continued,  in  that  his  successor  to  the  professorship  of  history 
was  Diman,  his  pupil.  Prof.  Gammell's  connection  with  the  university 
was  contemporaneous  with  some  of  the  most  honored  and  brilliant 
men  who  were  called  to  preside  over  or  guide  the  instruction.  He  was 
associated  with  Wayland,  Sears,  Chace,  Dunn,  Caswell,  Lincoln,  Diman, 
and  many  others  who  had  the  best  welfare  of  the  college  at  heart. 

Graduating  in  1831  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class,  he  was 
called  the  following  year  to  a  tutorship  at  the  college.  He  was  called 
tutor  and  lecturer  in  the  Latin  language  and  literature.  His  promo- 
tion to  the  assistant  professorship  of  belles-lettres  followed  in  1835. 
He  was  associated  in  this  chair  with  Prof.  William  G.  Goddard.  In 
1837  he  was  appointed  professor  of  rhetoric,  and  the  chief  labor  of 
the  department  devolved  upon  him,  owing  to  the  poor  health  of  Prof. 
Goddard. 

Tlie  "  new  system,"  as  planned  by  Wayland  in  the  reorganization 
of  the  instruction  of  the  college,  constituted  a  separate  department  of 
history.  To  this  chair  Prof.  Gammell  was  transferred  and  held  the 
professorship  of  history  and  political  economy  till  his  withdrawal  in 
18G7.  But  his  withdrawal  from  the  duties  of  a  professor  by  no  means 
withdrew  him  from  the  heartiest  cooperation  in  the  interests  of  the 
college.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  corporation  in  1870,  and 
was  actively  identified  with  the  management  of  the  college.  After 
his  resignation  from  his  professorship  he  devoted  himself  to  labors  in 
behalf  of  public  charity  and  philanthropy.  This  President  Waylaud 
and  Prof.  Ohace  had  also  done. 


190        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN   RHODE    ISLAND. 

In  the  biography  of  Prof.  Gammell  appears  the  following  letter,  of 
which  a  part  is  quoted.  It  was  written  by  Dr.  Thayer,  of  Newport: 

NEWPORT,  March  15,  1890. 

I  have  been  asked  to  join  in  a  testimonial  to  Prof.  Gammell.  My  increasing  inter- 
course with  him  of  late  years  has  made  mo  feel  his  loss  too  much  not  to  comply  with 
the  request.  One  shrinks  from  a  formal  tribute  to  a  friend.  Yet  it  is  a  real  tribute 
which  I  pay  Prof.  Gammell  in  saying  that  through  all  the  changes  about  him  he  pre- 
served his  identity.  For  all  agree  that  a  wonderful  process  of  assimilation  is  going 
on,  and  everybody  is  becoming  like  everybody  else.  Perpetual  contacts  with  all  sorts 
of  people  are  unconscious  attritions  that  rub  down  personal  peculiarities  to  an  unin- 
teresting .sameness.  Fashionable  life  renders  its  votaries  indistinguishable  by  the 
enamel  it  puts  on  them.  Politics  bring  men  into  disgusting  resemblance,  while  our  lit- 
erature of  all  kinds  is  strangely  alike  and  forms  its  readers  to  its  own  average.  What 
wonder,  then,  that  men  lose  or  greatly  qualify  their  identities,  that  colleges  are  con- 
forming to  the  pattern  of  the  age,  and  that  presidents  and  professors  are  becominglike 
the  rest  of  mankind — the  presidents  largely  employed  in  collecting  funds,  and  the  pro- 
fessors no  longer  living  and  working  in  the  college  only,  but  playing  the  scholar  in 
politics  and  acting  in  peripatetic  universities.  But  Prof.  Gammell  was  wholly  formed 
in  Brown  University  when — defects  and  all — it  was  the  old  American  college,  and 
his  life  was  concentrated  there  with  singular  devotion.  That  cast  of  character  he 
never  lost,  not  obtrusively,  but  decidedly  it  impressed  you,  and  it  was  easy  to  con- 
ceive him  in  the  classroom.  His  opinions  were  positive  and  given  emphatically,  but 
not  offensively  ex  cathedra.  He  loved  racy  good  English,  taught  it  and  used  it,  though 
I  doubt  not  he  exercised  literary  charity  for  his  pupils  and  friends  who  have  (  ome 
to  prefer  poets  and  thinkers  whose  meaning  is  not  plain  to  their  readers  nor  prob- 
ably was  to  themselves.  The  professor  was  a  "gentleman  of  the  old  school,"  and  to 
those  who  did  not  know  the  man  he  might  have  seemed  reserved,  but  from  the  testi- 
mony of  his  pupils  he  had  a  warm  fund  of  sympathy  and  a  genial  interest  for  them. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  "  Friday  Club,"  and  his  interest  and  devotion  to  it  contrib- 
uted to  the  success  of  the  gathering.  Some  of  the  papers  there  presented  have  been 
printed. 

THE    LIBRARY. 

The  historian  of  an  institution  is  able  to  appreciate  the  benefit  to  it 
of  founders  who  were  men  of  wisdom.  President  Manning  appreciated 
the  need  of  books  for  the  college.  The  culture  and  learning  of  the  day 
were  in  books,  and  these  were  expensive.  The  professors  were  not 
able  to  provide  themselves  with  such  books  as  were  necessary  for  their 
own  libraries  in  the  various  departments.  It  was  necessary  that  the 
centers  of  learning  should  have  libraries,  not  only  for  the  use  of  the 
students  but  for  consultation  by  the  instructors. 

If  Ehode  Island  College  was  to  be  an  influence  in  the  community  and 
if  it  was  to  be  a  center  of  learning,  it  must  have  a  working  library. 
President  Manning  clearly  saw  the  necessity  for  this  and  very  early 
used  his  influence  towards  its  accomplishment.  The  success  which 
attended  his  efforts  has  been  evinced  by  the  steady  growth  in  the  col- 
lege and  the  formation  of  the  nucleus  of  an  excellent  library. 

Two  years  after  the  removal  of  the  college  to  Providence  the  number 
of  books  was  250,  "  not  well  chosen,  being  such  as  our  friends  could 
best  spare." 


BROWN"    UNIVERSITY.  191 

In  1782,  at  the  reorganization  of  the  college  after  the  interval  of  the 
Revolution,  there  were  500  books,  "  most  of  which  are  both  very 
ancient  and  very  useless,  as  well  as  very  ragged  and  unsightly."  By 
subscriptions  and  by  the  gifts  of  friends  additions  were  made  so  that 
the  number  was  increased  to  about  4,000.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that 
several  donations  of  books  were  made  by  Englishmen,  showing  their 
interest  in  the  college,  although  the  incidents  of  the  Revolution  were 
still  fresh  in  mind. 

The  library  was  placed  in  the  east  room  on  the  second  floor  of  Univer- 
sity Hall,  till  it  was  removed  to  Maiming  Hall.  The  books  com- 
posing the  library  were  theological  and  biographical  chiefly,  although 
some  were  scientific  and  historical.  Very  many  of  the  early  accessions 
were  obtained  by  purchase,  the  money  having  been  subscribed  by 
friends,  so  that  the  deficiencies  of  any  department  could  be  supplied. 

From  the  by-laws  adopted  in  1785  are  taken  the  following  extracts: 

The  librarian  shall  keep  the  library  room  neat  and  clean,  and  in  delivering  out 
books  he  shall  suffer  none  of  the  students  to  derange  or  handle  them  on  the  shelves. 

He  shall  demand  and  receive  a  fine  of  sixpence  for  every  time  that  any  student 
hath  suffered  a  library  book  to  be  uncovered  in  his  possession. 

He  shall  open  the  library  room  on  such  day  of  the  week  as  the  president  shall 
from  time  to  time  direct,  and  shall  keep  it  open  from  1  to  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

The  sum  of  $25  was  paid  the  librarian  in  1702,  and  in  1796  the  fresh- 
man class  was  admitted  to  the  use  of  the  library  011  the  same  terms  as 
the  other  students. 

The  friends  of  the  college  remembered  the  library,  and  legacies  of 
valuable  books  were  left  to  it.  That  of  the  Rev.  William  Richards,  of 
Lynn,  England,  was  rich  in  books  illustrative  of  Welsh  and  English 
antiquities.  Other  smaller  but  valuable  bequests  were  made. 

In  1831  an  effort  was  made  to  raise  $25,roO  for  the  purchase  of  books 
and  apparatus  for  the  philosophical  and  chemical  departments.  Nearly 
$20,000  was  secured  and  invested  till  it  should  reach  the  desired  sum 
of  $25,000.  The  room  in  University  Hall  was  by  this  time  "  crowded 
to  excess,  unsightly,  and  wholly  unsuited  for  the  purpose  to  which 
from  necessity  it  was  devoted." 

In  1835  Manning  Hall  was  dedicated.  This  building  had  been 
erected  by  the  generosity  of  Nicholas  Brown,  and  was  to  serve  as  a 
chapel  and  library.  This  building  afforded  more  room,  but  was  not 
conveniently  adapted  for  a  library,  nor  was  it  fireproof.  However,  the 
library  remained  in  this  building  till  1878,  when  it  was  removed  to  the 
present  building.  In  1843  the  number  of  volumes  was  about  10,500. 

In  the  next  decade  valuable  additions  of  French,  German,  and  Ital- 
ian books  were  added,  having  beew  carefully  selected  by  Prof.  Jewett, 
who  was  at  the  time  in  Europe.  He  was  also  successful  in  securing  a 
valuable  collection  of  English  books,  including  one  of  Shakespeariana. 
A  collection  of  patristic  works  was  commenced  in  1847.  This  was 
enlarged  by  the  efforts  of  some  of  the  city  clergymen,  and  a  very  com- 
plete set  was  secured. 


192        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

Such  was,  in  outline,  the  growth  of  the  library  till  its  removal  in  1878 
to  the  present  building.  The  words  of  President  Eobinson  at  the  ded- 
ication of  the  building  fittingly  characterize  the  library.  u  Admirable, 
spacious,  complete,  massive,  imposing,  enduring  as  is  this  structure,  the 
library  which  is  to  occupy  it  is  not  unworthy  of  its  place.  No  college 
library  perhaps  in  the  country  is  better  fitted  to  the  uses  for  which  such 
libraries  are  supposed  to  be  gathered.  It  has  never  been  the  recep- 
tacle of  cast-off  books;  it  has  never  been  encumbered  by  gifts  of  unsal- 
able private  libraries.  Its  50,000  volumes  have  been  selected  under 
scrutinizing  eyes  with  unremitted  care  that  the  best  authorities  in 
every  department  of  learning  should  find  a  place  on  its  shelves.  Even 
its  largest  purchases  have  been  made  with  extremest  care  and  by  well- 
read  men.'7  These  facts  bridged  a  mighty  chasm  between  the  present 
and  that  early  day,  when  the  library  had  but  250  volumes,  "  not  well 
chosen,  being  such  as  our  friends  could  best  spare." 

The  present  building  is  fireproof,  and  the  plan  is  that  of  a  cross  with 
octagonal  radiating  wings.  The  reading  room  is  in  the  center.  Light 
is  obtained  from  the  large  windows  of  the  cupola  and  also  by  small 
windows  in  each  alcove.  Particular  attention  was  paid  to  lighting  and 
ventilation,  two  excellencies  which  here  have  been  secured.  Each  of 
the  three  wings,  octagonal  in  shape,  contains  24  alcoves.  The  west 
wing  is  devoted  to  history.  Over  the  window  in  each  alcove  is  the 
general  classification:  Biblical  literature,  theology,  religious  history, 
biography,  voyages  and  travels,  American  history,  English  history, 
general  history.  The  north  wing  is  devoted  to  science,  with  the  follow- 
ing classification  :  Jurisprudence,  political  economy,  philosophy,  natural 
history,  medical  science,  useful  and  fine  arts,  mathematics,  chemistry, 
physics.  The  east  wing  is  devoted  to  literature.  The  classifications 
are:  Bibliography  and  literary  history,  philology,  Greek  and  Latin 
classics,  collected  works,  English  and  American  literature,  foreign  liter- 
ature, periodicals. 

Each  alcove  is  supplied  with  a  table  and  chairs  so  that  the  book  can 
be  con  suited  there.  The  students  have  free  access  to  all  the  alcoves  on 
the  ground  floor,  and  may  obtain  permission  to  consult  books  on  the  two 
upper  ones.  Regarding  the  free  access  of  students  to  the  books  the 
librarian  says: 

It  was  early  my  conviction,  and  an  experience  of  forty  years  as  a  librarian  has 
only  served  to  confirm  it,  that  the  books  of  a  college  library  should  be  so  arranged 
as  to  allow  the  students  to  consult  and  handle  them  freely.  Catalogues,  however 
necessary  and  accessible  and  however  carefully  and  skillfully  prepared,  can  never 
take  the  place  of  the  books  themselves  in  a  collegiate  institution.  It  requires,  more- 
over, no  small  degree  of  knowledge  and  patience  to  consult  a  modem  catalogue  of  a 
large  collection  of  books.  Hence,  the  president  of  Harvard  College,  at  a  recent 
meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association,  facetiously  remarked  that  although 
lie  might  claim  to  be  as  intelligent  as  the  ordinary  frequenters  of  a  library,  he  did 
not  know  enough  to  use  a  card  catalogue. 

The  library  has  open  shelves  where  the  books  can  be  readly  handled  by  all,  and 
quiet,  well-lighted  alcoves,  with  convenient  tables  and  seats,  inviting  to  study  and 
research. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  193 

This  arrangement  is  of  great  advantage  to  the  student,  for  he  can 
see  very  quickly  whether  a  book  is  one  that  he  may  want.  In  addi- 
tion he  gains  some  knowledge  from  the  titles,  for  he  knows  where 
to  go  for  a  book  although  he  may  not  need  it  at  once.  Alumni  from 
neighboring  cities  have  come  to  consult  this  library  simply  because 
they  had  free  access  to  the  shelves,  and  they  have  been  rewarded  by 
finding  books  of  which  they  had  no  knowledge.  One  member  of  the 
class  of  1858  felt  indebted  to  the  library  to  such  an  extent  that  he  pre- 
sented a  valuable  collection  of  works  on  pedagogics. 

The  catalogue  is  of  the  card  system,  arranged  so  as  to  shew  titles, 
authors,  and  subjects.  The  books  are  recorded  by  numbers  which 
show  the  alcove,  press  number,  shelf  number,  and  the  number  of 
the  book  on  the  shelf.  Thus  6-1-9-26  means  alcove  six,  press 
one,  shelf  nine,  book  twenty-six.  -On  the  ground  floor  there  are  9 
shelves  in  each  alcove,  and  7  on  each  of  the  alcoves  on  the  two  upper 
floors.  Each  shelf  is  30  inches  long.  Each  book  is  charged  to  the 
student,  who  signs  the  register  in  which  it  is  recorded. 

The  library  funds  amount  to  $46,000.  Of  this  amount  $10,000  is  a 
bequest  from  the  late  Prof.  Gammell,  for  the  purchase  of  books  relat- 
ing to  the  history  of  the  United  States.  Ten  thousand  dollars  consti- 
tutes the  "  Olney  fund"  for  the  purchase  of  botanical  books  and  plants. 
The  balance,  including  a  bequest  of  $500  from  the  late  President  Way- 
land,  was  raised  by  subscription  in  1831,  and  is  called  the  "library 
fund."  To  this  the  Hon.  Nicholas  Brown  contributed  $10.000. 

The  library  is  open  in  term  time  each  week  day,  except  Saturday, 
from  10  to  4;  on  Saturdays  from  10  to  1;  during  vacations  on  Satur- 
days only.  The  central  part  of  the  library  is  open  also  from  7  to  10 
each  week-day  evening,  except  Saturday,  not,  however,  for  the  draw- 
ing and  return  of  books,  but  for  reading,  consultation,  and  research. 

Members  of  the  corporation  and  of  the  faculty,  also  every  donor 
residing  in  Providence,  of  $500  or  more  to  the  funds  of  the  university, 
may  use  the  library  without  charge.  The  library  committee  can 
grant  this  privilege  to  others,  but  by  vote  of  the  corporation,  per- 
sons not  exempted  in  any  of  these  ways,  including  students  and  grad- 
uates, pay  for  library  privileges  the  sum  of  $5  each,  per  annum. 

During  the  year  1890  the  library  was  increased  by  the  addition  of 
575  volumes  by  purchase  and  540  volumes  and  1,884  pamphlets  by  gift. 
It  now  numbers  about  80,000  bound  volumes  and  20,000  pamphlets. 

There  has  been  placed  in  the  rotunda  of  the  library  building  an  ad- 
ditional long  table,  upon  which  are  placed  a  large  number  of  books  for 
ready  examination  by  students.  This  collection,  varying  from  time  to 
time,  includes  recent  accessions  to  the  library,  books  recommended  by 
professors  for  consultation  by  students  in  connection  with  topics  dis- 
cussed in  the  lecture  room,  also  works  illustrative  of  archaeology. 

Any  mention  of  the  library  would  be  incomplete  without  reference 
1123  n  i 13 


194        HISTOKY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

to  the  librarian,  Dr.  R.  A.  Guild.1  He  is  one  of  the  best  friends  of  the 
students,  nor  does  he  forget  them  after  they  graduate.  Each  alumnus 
as  he  returns  to  the  university  invariably  finds  himself  at  the  library, 
where  he  is  sure  of  a  cordial  welcome  and  a  genuine  interest  in  what 
he  has  been  doing,  on  the  part  of  the  librarian.  It  would  seem  as  if 
Dr.  Guild  spent  nearly  as  much  of  his  time  on  the  steps  and  vestibule 
of  the  library  as  in  his  room,  so  reluctant  is  he  to  allow  his  friends  to 
depart,  and  such  hard  work  is  it  for  them  to  get  away.  He  is  sure  to 
make  some  inquiry  regarding  a  classmate,  or  relate  some  anecdote 
concerning  an  alumnus  or  a  friend  of  the  college.  He  is  always  willing 
to  do  all  he  can  for  the  students,  in  aiding  them  in  their  use  of  the 
library,  and  more  than  one,  on  his  return  in  after  years,  has  made 
recognition  to  the  doctor  of  the  obligation  which  he  felt  towards  him. 
He  is  a  loyal  son  of  his  alma  mater ,  and  no  one  is  more  conversant 
with  her  past. 

BROWN  IN  1861. 

Reference  should  be  made  to  the  part  which  the  university  took  in 
the  scenes  of  1861-1865.  The  echoes  of  conflict  are  now  growing  fainter 
and  fainter,  so  that  mention  can  be  made  of  events  which  reflect  credit 
on  the  college,  without  exciting  aversion  from  those  who  took  opposite 
sides. 

The  enthusiasm  was  intense  among  the  students,  and  they  all  acted 
in  accord  with  what  each  considered  the  duties  of  the  hour.  The  spirit 
which  had  animated  the  early  years  of  the  college,  when  the  buildings 
were  given  up  for  barracks  and  hospitals  in  the  Revolution,  still  seemed 
to  be  present. 

When,  after  the  close  of  the  strife,  it  was  desired  to  recall  and  com- 
memorate the  sons  of  Brown  who  had  shared  in  the  conflict,  and  who 
had  given  up  life  itself,  the  choice  of  the  students  was  the  erection  of  a 
mural  tablet  in  the  chapel.  At  the  commemorative  exercises  in  the 
chapel,  the  address  was  given  by  Prof.  Lincoln.  It  is  presented  entire, 
because  it  is  a  refutation  of  the  charge  that  the  scholar  takes  no  part 
in  politics ;  that  liberal  studies  withdraw  the  student  from  interest  or 
activity  in  passing  events  that  concern  his  fellow-men  or  his  country: 

If  I  speak  at  this  time  in  behalf  of  the  faculty  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  making  it 
distinctly  understood  that  their  part  in  the  work  now  consummated  has  been  merely 
formal.  To  the  undergraduates  all  the  praise  belongs.  From  them  the  suggestion 
came,  and  save  that  to  my  colleague,  the  professor  of  Latin,  they  owe  the  terse  and 
admirable  inscription,  the}' have  had  the  matter  wholly  in  their  own  hands.  I  need 
hardly  say  that  this  gives  a  peculiar  interest  to  our  present  services.  So  far  as  I 
am  aware,  no  such  tribute  has  been  paid  in  any  of  our  sister  colleges.  Some,  with 
imposing  ceremonies,  have  commemorated  their  unreturning  dead.  One  lias  with 
great  propriety  decided  to  devote  a  chapel  to  the  precious  memory  of  sacrifices 
which,  in  an  earlier  age,  would  have  swelled  the  lists  of  saints  and  martyrs,  while 
our  most  ancient  university  seeks  expression  for  her  proud  sorrow  in  a  memorial 

1Dr.  Guild  and  the  late  Prof.  Diman  had  much  to  do  with  building  up  the  library 
collections  of  Brown  University, — ED. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  195 

hall,  whose  stately  front  will  bear  the  names  of  her  heroes,  while  its  inner  walls  will 
be  eloquent  with  their  pictured  lips.  But  such  costly  offerings  can  come  only  from 
the  whole  body  of  alumni,  while  the  simple  tablet  which  we  set  up  to-day  derives 
its  distinctive  value  from  the  fact  that  it  is  a  student's  tribute.  And  if,  as  the  Roman 
historian  holds,  next  to  the  doing  of  great  deeds  must  be  reckoned  the  right 
appreciation  of  them,  this  tablet  will  servo  in  two  ways  as  an  enduring  testimo- 
nial; for  while,  on  the  ono  hand,  it  will  bear  witness  to  tho  magnanimity  and  love 
of  country  of  those  quipro  libertate  et  pro  reipublicce  integritate  laid  down  their  lives 
on  the  blood-stained  field,  or  languished  them  away  in  the  unwholesome  prison,  so, 
on  the  other,  will  it  furnish  the  evidence  that  ono  mind  animated  tho  mass,  and  that 
those  who  could  not  themselves  share  in  the  sacrifice  were  prompt  to  testify  their 
sense  of  its  greatness. 

To  the  faculty  and  to  the  students  alike  it  seemed  eminently  fit  that  such  a  memo- 
rial should  be  erected  here ;  that  here,  as  wo  gather  to  our  daily  devotions,  we  might 
be  reminded  of  those  who  only  a  short  time  since  sat  with  us  on  these  benches  and 
joined  with  us  in  our  accustomed  hymns  of  praise;  and  that  here  those  who  in  years 
to  come  shall  fill  our  places  may  learn  that  study  is  not  an  end  in  itself;  that  liberal 
culture  looks  to  larger  results  than  are  included  in  mere  academic  success;  that  the 
finest  discipline  becomes  contemptible  if  not  coupled  with  tho  manly  virtues.  Not 
what  we  learn,  but  the  use  we  make  of  our  learning,  is  what  tells  the  story.  Surely, 
if  the  instructors  in  this  institution  ever  grow  negligent  in  inculcating  these  high 
lessons  tho  very  stone  will  cry  out. 

And  if  any  of  you,  who  have  been  long  out  of  college,  are  curious  about  the  kind 
of  training  that  has  been  furnished  of  late  years,  you  may  study  the  best  proof  of  it 
in  that  inscription,  Aleunt  studio,  in  mores— let  the  lofty  public  spirit  of  these  chil- 
dren of  our  common  mother,  their  fidelty  to  duty,  their  valor,  their  endurance  speak 
for  tho  training  she  gave  them.  She  carves  their  names  in  her  holiest  place,  in 
recognition  of  the  new  lustre  they  have  added  to  her  ancient  fame.  Tho  evidence 
here  furnished  of  the  intrinsic  worth  of  our  established  method  of  academic  disci- 
pline is  the  more  striking,  because  it  is  just  here  that  the  common  objections  to  it 
are  urged  with  the  greatest  force.  That  method,  you  are  aware,  has  been  severely 
criticised  as  unsuited  to  the  present  age.  Such  exclusive  devotion,  it  has  been 
claimed,  to  abstract  studies  but  poorly  fits  the  understanding  to  deal  with  practical 
concerns;  such  prolonged  contact  with  tho  part  is  ill  adapted  to  awaken  sympathy 
with  the  living  present.  Thus  we  furnish  a  puny  intellectualism  at  the  price  of 
those  manly  qualities  which  are  the  conditions  of  all  real  success.  How  far  these 
reproaches  were  well  founded,  let  the  experience  of  this,  and  kindred  institutions, 
show.  When  the  call  of  the  President  revealed  the  public  peril,  who  sprang  to 
arms?  Where  all  professions,  all  ranks,  all  conditions  showed  such  alacrity,  it  might 
seem  invidious  to  claim  special  praise  for  any  single  class,  but  let  it  never  be  forgotten 
that  among  those  who  hurried  earliest  to  the  strife,  in  those  shameful  days  when 
ono  and  another  of  tho  men  who  had  been  trained  at  West  Point  was  proving  faith- 
less to  his  trust,  was  a  large  proportion  of  the  students  of  our  college;  a  proportion, 
in  some  instances,  so  large  as  seriously  to  interfere  with  the  routine  of  academic 
duties.  It  is  safe  to  affirm  that  no  one  class  of  the  American  people  was  represented 
in  so  liberal  a  ratio  as  the  very  class  whose  training  has  been  decried  as  tending  to 
keep  them  at  o,  distance  from  the  questions  of  the  day.  And  in  this  respect  our 
experience  has  been  the  experience  of  those  before  us.  In  that  matchless  eulogy 
which  Pericles  pronounced  at  the  beginning  of  the  Peloponnesian  war  he  proudly 
claimed  that  Athens  had  lost  nothing  in  the  cultivation  of  those  arts  to  which  she 
owed  her  highest  fame ;  and  we,  too,  on  looking  back  on  our  record,  remembering 
the  readiness  with  which  so  many  of  our  educated  youth  made  sacrifice  of  the  hopes 
of  years,  recognizing  tho  conspicuous  ability  so  often  shown  in  tho  novel  and 
arduous  positions  to  which  they  were  summoned,  bewailing,  alas,  what  may  not  even 
now  be  mentioned  without  renewing  in  the  hearts  of  some  here  present  a  grief  too 


196       HISTORY    OF    HIGHER   EDUCATION   IN   RHODE    ISLAND. 

sacred  and  too  recent  to  be  disturbed,  may  repeat  with  added  emphasis  the  words  of 
the  great  Athenian  orator,  "We  have  not  been  enfeebled  by  philosophy." 

And  never  again  let  it  bo  said,  as  more  than  once  it  was  said  before  the  rebellion, 
that  our  educated  men,  as  a  class,  are  the  most  disloyal  to  our  institutions.  There  is 
no  such  antagonism  between  liberal  culture  and  republican  ideas.  From  a  certain 
narrow  national  conceit,  tho  offspring  of  ignorance  and  prejudice,  culture,  of  course, 
emancipates  the  mind;  it  renders  love  of  country  a  rational  sentiment;  it  leads  us 
to  regard  political  forms  as  possessed  not  of  absolute,  but  only  of  relative  excellence ; 
it  warns  us  against  supposing  that  any  contrivances  of  man  are  perfect  or  destined 
to  endure  forever;  but  that  an  enlargement  of  the  understanding,  in  the  study  of 
philosophy  and  history,  a  thoughtful  survey  of  the  forces  which  have  shaped  society, 
a  just  appreciation  of  the  controlling  political  ideas  that  underlie  the  mighty  move- 
ments of  modern  times,  have  any  tendency  to  shake  our  confidence  in  the  great 
experiment  for  which  the  New  World  was  reserved  by  Divine  Providence  for  so 
many  years,  our  recent  experience  has  triumphantly  disproved.  It  is  the  wiser  judg- 
ment of  one  of  the  profoundest  political  thinkers  of  our  day,  whose  views  have  had 
no  little  influence  in  molding  the  present  generation  of  American  students,  that  a 
political  system  like  ours  is  precisely  the  one  which  requires  the  "  greatest  maturity 
of  reason,  of  morality,  of  civilization,  in  the  society  to  which  it  is  applied,"  and  if, 
as  Guizot  affirms,  modern  society  has  penetrated  the  ways  of  God,  it  is  because  the 
scope  and  motive  of  modern  politics  are  coming  to  be  the  more  adequate  expression 
of  that  Divine  and  Universal  Justice  which  men  of  genuine  culture  have  been  in  all 
ages  most  swift  to  recognize,  and  in  advancing  which  they  have  come  nearest  the 
prize  of  the  mark  of  their  high  calling. 

The  inscription  was  cut  on  a  block  of  white  marble,  which  is  placed 
in  Manning  Hall. 

IN.  MEMORIAM.  FRATRUM.  SUORUM 

QUI.  PRO.  LlBERTATE 

ET.  PRO.  REIPUBLIC^E.  INTEGRITATE 
IN.  BELLO.  CIVILI.  CECIDERUNT 

LITERARUM.  STUDIOSI 

IN.  HAC.  UNIVERSITATE.  OOMMORANTES 

HANG.  TABULAM.  POSUERUNT 

MDCCCLXVL 

SOCIETIES. 

in  1821,  in  consequence  of  the  revival  of  1820,  was  formed  the  Reli- 
gious Society  of  Brown  University.  The  object  of  the  society  will  be 
seen  from  the  preamble: 

Impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  numerous  temptations  to  which  we  are  exposed 
and  feeling  the  continual  need  and  guidance  of  Almighty  God,  our  Heavenly  Father, 
we  unite  in  this  society  devotedly  to  supplicate  the  throne  of  grace  for  the  blessing 
of  Heaven  on  our  exertions  to  promote  vital  piety  and  sound  morality  in  this  insti- 
tution. 

The  regular  meeting  was  held  in  the  university  chapel  and  was  a 
conference  meeting.  A  yearly  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  First 
Baptist  Church,  and  a  sermon  was  preached  by  some  leading  clergyman. 
President  Wayland  was  invited  to  preach  regularly  before  the  society 
Sunday  afternoons,  and  he  continued  to  do  so  during  the  remainder  of 
his  presidency,  more  than  twenty  years.  This  society  was  quite  simi- 
lar in  its  organization  to  the  Collegiate  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  197 

In  May,  1827,  a  change  was  made  in  the  name  of  the  society  and  it 
was  known  as  the  "  Society  for  Missionary  Inquiry."  The  object  of  the 
society  now  was  "  that  the  members  might  possess  the  means  of  extend- 
ing their  knowledge  respecting  the  moral  and  more  especially  the  reli- 
gious condition  of  the  world.'7  In  1834  the  original  name  was  resumed, 
because  a  special  society  for  missionary  inquiry  had  been  organized. 
In  1863  the  organization  of  the  society  was  discontinued,  but  the  weekly 
prayer  meetings  were  held  as  usual  on  Wednesday  evenings  for  twenty 
years. 

A  notice  of  the  organization  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion of  Brown  University  appeared  in  the  college  publication  for  1883, 
and  in  1886  the  Society  for  Missionary  Inquiry  was  merged  in  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  under  the  name  of  the  Department 
for  Missionary  Inquiry.  An  annual  sermon  is  still  preached  to  the 
society  by  some  leading  divine.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, which  is  a  branch  of  the  intercollegiate  association,  has  charge  of 
the  religious  meetings  and  work  of  the  students.  Religious  services 
are  held  in  the  chapel  every  morning,  except  Saturday  and  Sunday. 

LITERARY    SOCIETIES. 

Particular  attention  had  been  given  at  E-hode  Island  College  to  ora- 
tory, and  the  early  presidents  had  been  good  public  men.  The  grad- 
uates of  the  early  classes  had  the  reputation  of  being  accomplished 
speakers.  A  society  "for  the  promotion  of  social  intercourse  and  for 
improvement  in  forensic  discussion"  was  formed  in  July,  1794.  The 
number  was  limited  to  20,  and  all  the  proceedings  were  secret.  The 
name  was  the  "Misokosmian  Society."  The  literary  exercises  consisted 
in  the  discussion  of  prepared  compositions  or  extemporaneous  speak- 
ing on  assigned  topics. 

As  this  was  one  of  the  earliest  secret  societies  at  the  university,  its 
object,  as  set  forth  by  the  preamble  and  compact,  will  be  of  interest: 

Knowledge  and  virtue  are  the  constituent  principles  of  human  happiness,  and 
happiness  is  the  ultimate  end  of  human  existence.  Individual  weakness  forbids 
extensive  research  in  the  fields  of  science.  Knowledge,  therefore,  must  forever  be 
exceedingly  confined,  without  that  reciprocation  of  ideas  and  that  ardor  of  inquiry 
which  alone  result  from  social  intercourse.  Such  are  the  unalterable  laws  of  our 
nature  that  those  sentiments  of  mind  and  those  feelings  of  heart  which  make  men 
happy  can  have  110  existence  out  of  society.  An  interchange  of  wishes  and  union  of 
interests  alone  can  give  birth  to  benevolence,  humanity,  friendship,  and  all  the  finer 
emotions  of  the  soul. 

The  membership  was  increased  to  40.  In  1797  the  project  of  form- 
ing a  library  was  adopted  and  the  name  of  the  society  was  changed  to 
that  of  "  Philerinenian."  The  library  had  a  very  few  volumes,  blit 
in  1800  at  the  anniversary  exercises  special  exertions  were  made,  so 
that  sufficient  funds  were  raised  to  purchase  Dobson's  Encyclopedia. 
This  was  considered  as  the  "  repository  of  all  that  is  valuable  to  the 
scholar."  The  society  had  a  case  for  its  books  in  the  same  room  in 


198        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

which  was  the  university  library.  The  society  was  limited  to  a  mem- 
bership of  45.  In  1806  there  were  upwards  of  100  students  -residing  at 
the  university,  and  another  society  was  organized,  known  as  the 
"  United  Brothers."  Its  constitution  was  similar  to  the  "  Philer- 
menian.'7  These  two  societies  were  of  course  rivals,  but  the  emulation 
on  the  whole  was  healthy  and  productive  of  good.  The  Pliilermenians 
were  inclined  to  the  Federal  and  the  Brothers  to  the  Republican  party. 

A  room  was  given  to  the  Philermenian  Society  in  Hope  College  on 
its  erection  in  1823  and  the  library  was  removed  to  that  building. 

In  1824  the  Franklin  Society  was  established.  The  reason  for  this 
organization  was  similar  to  that  of  the  Brothers.  That  year  a  large 
class  had  entered  and,  the  membership  of  the  other  societies  being 
limited,  there  was  a  demand  for  a  third  society.  This  society  had  an 
existence  of  ten  years  and  was  successful  in  accumulating  a  library  of 
several  hundred  volumes.  When  the  society  disbanded  an  equal  pro- 
portion of  the  members  were  elected  to  each  of  the  other  two-  By  a 
provision  in  the  charter  the  library  was  transferred  to  the  university 
library.  The  two  other  societies  continued  to  flourish.  In  1841  a  joint 
celebration  was  effected.  In  1849  the  number  of  books  in  the  Philer- 
menian library  was  3,224  and  about  the  same  number  in  that  of  the 
Brothers. 

Still  another  cause  at  that  time  contributed  very  considerably  to  enhance  the 
practical  value  of  an  education  at  Brown  University.  There  were  then  in  the  col- 
lege two  literary  societies,  composed  of  undergraduates.  These  had  large  and  valu- 
able libraries.  These  volumes  were  very  generally  read  by  the  students.  But  the 
principal  value  of  these  societies  was  found  in  their  frequent  stated  meetings  for 
practice  in  debate,  and  for  reading  and  criticising  compositions.  Emulation  was 
then  excited  in  the  useful  arts  of  writing  and  speaking.  The  students  thus  accus- 
tomed themselves  to  think  upon  the  great  questions  of  the  day  and  acquired  the 
power  of  using  their  knowledge  so  as  most  effectually  to  convince  and  persuade 
others.  From  these  debates  they  went  forth  to  instruct  society  and  to  sway  popular 
assemblies  by  their  eloquence.  Facts  show  that  those  who  were  then  most  active 
in  these  societies  as  writers  and  debaters  have  since  done  most  for  themselves  and 
for  the  world.  Here  they  trained  theii;  youthful  faculties  and  acquired  the  skill 
which  lias  since  made  their  power  felt.  From  these  societies  th^y  looked  out  upon 
the  theater  before  them  and  prepared  for  the  battles  to  bo  fought  and  the  work  to 
be  done  in  the  great  world  of  living  men,  where  they  were  expecting  to  act  their 
part.  By  these  exercises  the  graduates  of  Brown  University  were  prepared,  when 
they  went  forth  into  the  world,  very  soon  to  acquire  an  enviable  distinction  as 
popular  speakers,  ready  debaters,  men  of  good  sense,  and  actual  power  in  the  con- 
duct of  affairs.  Hence  the  opinion,  then  widely  prevalent,  that  for  all  practical 
purposes  an  education  in  Brown  University  was  even  more  desirable  than  one  in 
most  of  the  other  colleges.  This  result  was  in  no  small  degree  due  to  the  president, 
who  always  looked  upon  these  societies  as  important  auxiliaries  in  his  work  and 
warmly  cherished  them  by  his  counsels  and  his  encouragement.  We  are  sorry  that 
they  are  now  so  far  abandoned.  One  of  the  best  methods  of  practical  training  is 
here  lost  to  the  students.  We  do  not  believe  that  any  equivalent  has  been  found  in 
the  secret  societies  that  have  taken  their  place.  Beyond  all  question  it  is  a  dis- 
grace to  the  students,  if  not  to  some  higher  powers,  that  those  libraries  are  left,  as 
they  now  are,  to  be  scattered,  wasted,  and  utterly  destroyed. 


BROWN    UNIVERSITY.  199 

The  Alpha  of  Ehode  Island,  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  was  established 
at  Brown  in  1830. 

The  Greek-letter  secret  societies  are  representative  of  all  the  leading 
fraternities.  They  are  by  reputation  formed  chiefly  for  literary  pur- 
poses, and  the  leading  ones  maintain  this  standard.  They  have  their 
periods  of  prosperity  and  adversity,  and  the  study  of  any  one  will  pre- 
sent an  interesting  phase  of  the  society  life.  In  the  Liber  Bruneusis, 
the  annual  published  by  the  secret  societies,  the  following  fraternities 
are  represented  at  Brown  in  the  order  of  their  establishment: 

Alpha  Delta  Phi,  1836;  Delta  Phi,  1838 ;  Psi  Upsilon,  1840;  Beta 
Theta  Pi,  1847  5  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon,  1850;  Zeta  Psi,  1852;  Theta 
Delta  Chi,  1853;  Delta  Upsilon,  1868;  Chi  Phi,  1872. 

ATHLETICS. 

The  university  has  never  had  a  gymnasium,  and  the  want  of  this  has 
been  sadly  felt  by  the  various  classes.  Said  the  president  in  one  of 
his  last  reports : 

AVe  continually  suffer  great  loss  in  the  numbers,  tho  health,  the  mental  po\ver, 
and  the  morale  of  our  students  from  the  lack  of  gymnasium  privileges. 

The  new  gymnasium  will  supply  this  deficiency.  The  students  have 
been  compelled  heretofore  to  use  such  privileges  as  the  local  gymna- 
siums of  the  city  have  afforded,  but  these  have  been  at  some  distance 
from  the  college  grounds.  The  middle  campus  is  used  for  tennis,  while 
Lincoln  Field  affords  good  opportunity  for  baseball  and  football.  Brown 
has  usually  taken  part  in  the  various  inte-rcollegiate  sports,  but  the  lack 
of  gymnasium  facilities  has  been  a  heavy  handicap. 

With  a  river  near  at  hand  which  furnishes  a  magnificent  course  for 
boating,  and  a  good  campus  for  all  field  sports,  and  the  gymnasium 
supplementing  each,  there  is  no  reason  why  a  healthy  and  a  rational 
interest  in  athletics  should  not  be  developed. 

PROFESSOR   LINCOLN. 

Were  no  special  mention  made  of  Prof.  Lincoln,  who  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  the  academic  staff  of  the  university  longer  than  any  other 
man,  all  the  graduates  of  the  past  fifty  years  would  feel  that  an  essen- 
tial part  of  the  sketch  of  Brown  had  been  omitted. 

He  was  the  associate  of  Wayland,'  Sears,  Caswell,  Chace,  Dunn, 
Diman,  and  many  others  who  had  the  welfare  of  the  university  at  heart 
and  gave  their  best  efforts  to  its  advancement. 

Although  he  had  attained  a  position  where  he  could  rest  on  his  well- 
won  laurels,  yet  he  still  continued  to  guide  and  instruct  the  youth  of 
Brown.  How  many  were  heard  to  remark  "  Prof.  Lincoln  will  never 
grow  old."  So  it  was,  and  there  was  no  younger  man  at  the  college 
than  he.  Genial  and  cordial,  of  a  kindly  disposition,  he  was  one  to  whom 
the  students  were  drawn  by  a  feeliug  that  here  was  a  man  who  would 
sympathize  with  them  and  give  them  kindly  advice. 


200        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

Twice  public  recognition  was  made  of  the  esteem  and  veneration  in 
which  he  was  held  by  the  alumni.  The  first  occasion  was  the  celebra- 
tion of  his  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  years  of  love  and  labor  at  his 
alma  mater.  The  exercises  were  crowned  by  the  presentation  to  the 
university  of  the  portrait  of  the  professor. 

The  second  token  of  regard  for  Prof.  Lincoln  was  the  foundation  of  the 
"  John  Larkin  Lincoln  Fund."  This  suggestion  was  made  and  carried 
out  by  the  New  York  alumni.  During  his  life  he  received  from  the 
income  of  this  fund  the  sum  of  $3,000  a  year,  in  lieu  of  other  college 
salary;  the  balance  of  the  income  during  his  life,  and  the  whole  of  it 
after  his  death,  was  to  be  devoted  to  the  general  uses  of  the  university. 

Prof.  Lincoln  is  well  known  as  an  author  of  text-books  and  for 
public  services  of  an  academic  nature.  But  he  was  best  known  and 
best  remembered  by  those  who  sat  under  his  instruction,  and  by  those 
who  came  in  contact  with  him  socially.  He  was  ever  to  all  the  Christian 
gentleman. 

NOTE. — Since  the  preparation  of  the  manuscript  on  Brown  University 
a  few  additions  are  necessary  to  bring  it  up  to  date. 

In  1891  the  university  voted  that  all  its  examinations  should  be  open 
to  women.  In  the  following  year  all  women  holding  bachelors'  degrees 
and  others  who  had  obtained  special  permission  were  allowed  to  follow 
any  of  the  courses  of  instruction  that  were  intended  for  graduate  stu- 
dents. There  were  also  a  considerable  number  of  women  who  pre- 
sented themselves  as  candidates  for  undergraduate  examinations; 
hence  classes  were  formed  for  them,  and  the  members  were  instructed 
by  members  of  the  academic  staff.  These  educational  facilities  for 
women  constitute  a  department  of  the  university,  but  as  yet  it  can 
hardly  be  called  a  woman's  college,  because  the  university  only  con- 
cerns itself  officially  with  the  examinations.  The  success  and  increas- 
ing attendance  of  this  department  indicate  that  the  present  quarters 
are  too  small.  President  Andrews  asks  for  a  fund  of  half  a  million 
dollars  to  equip  and  endow  this  college.  It  is  his  wish  that  this  enlarge- 
ment shall  form  no  mere  "  annex,"  but  that  women  shall  have  the  full 
university  status,  and  that  they  may  enjoy  all  the  educational  advan- 
tages now  offered  to  male  students  of  the  university. 

The  Lyman  gymnasium  affords  the  best  facilities  for  physical  train- 
ing. A  director  has  charge  of  the  work,  and  each  student  is  obliged  to 
take  four  hours  per  week  in  physical  culture. 

University  extension  is  now  in  charge  of  a  special  director,  Prof. 
Wilfred  Harold  Monroe,  who  has  organized  many  centers  in  the  sur- 
rounding towns  and  cities. 

The  death  of  Prof.  Lincoln  in  October,  1891,  was  a  great  blow  to  the 
college.  For  nearly  fifty  years  he  had  been  identified  with  Brown,  and 
its  welfare  was  very  dear  to  him.  A  memorial  volume  published  by 
his  son  gives  a  sketch  of  his  life  and  contains  many  of  his  essays. 


PART  V. 

THE   RHODE    ISLAND    COLLEGE    OF    AGRICULTURE    AND 

MECHANIC  ARTS.  ' 

HISTORY. 

In  1863  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  received  from  the  United  States 
Government  the  land-grant  scrip  which  gave  to  each  State  a  portion 
of  the  public  lands  on  condition  that  the  proceeds  derived  from  the 
sale  of  these  lands  be  used  for  the  endowment  and  support  of  an 
agricultural  and  mechanical  college.  The  recipient  of  the  land  scrip 
in  Rhode  Island  was  Brown  University. 

In  1887,  through  the  passage  of  the  Hatch  Act,  the  State  received 
$15,000  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  an  experiment  station  in  con- 
nection with  its  agricultural  and  mechanical  college.  When  the  State 
accepted  the  provisions  of  this  act,  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the 
general  assembly  to  investigate  and  report  as  to  the  best  action  to  be 
taken  by  the  State  toward  establishing  this  station,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  report  on  the  disposition  then  being  made  of  the  income  of  the 
land-grant  fund.  The  report  of  this  committee,  after  much  delibera- 
tion and  many  efforts  to  ascertain  the  opinions  and  wishes  of  the 
citizens  of  the  State,  was  in  favor  of  establishing  a  new  institution, 
and  connecting  the  experiment  station  with  that,  rather  than  with 
Brown  University,  the  nominal  land-grant  college  of  the  State.  It 
was  their  opinion  that  the  purpose  for  which  the  fund  was  given  would 
be  better  served  if  it  were  given  to  the  new  institution,  and  they  were 
of  the  belief  that  the  university  would  willingly  turn  it  over  for  that 
purpose.  An  act  was  accordingly  passed,  on  March  23,  1888,  establish- 
ing the  Rhode  Island  Agricultural  School,  which  was  located  at 
Kingston  and  entered  its  first  class  in  September,  1890. 

In  August,  1890,  the  United  States  Congress  passed  the  "new  Mor- 
rill  bill,'7  appropriating  for  the  further  support  of  the  agricultural  and 
mechanical  colleges  a  sum  beginning  with  $15,000  and  continuing  with 
a  yearly  increase  of  $1,000  until  the  annual  appropriation  should  reach 
$25,000.  In  order  that  the  Rhode  Island  Agricultural  School  might 
receive  the  benefit  of  this  act,  the  general  assembly  of  the  State 
amended  the  chapter  of  the  public  statutes  establishing  the  school, 
and  incorporated  the  institution  as  the  Rhode  Island  College  of  Agri- 
culture and  Mechanic  Arts.  The  new  college,  however,  did  not  for  a 
time  receive  the  benefit  of  this  fund,  as  Brown  University  filed  with 

1  By  President  John  H.  Washburn. 

201 


202        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

general  treasurer  of  tlie  State  a  demand  that  all  moneys  received  by 
him  under  the  act  of  Congress,  August  30,  1890,  be  paid  to  the  treas- 
urer of  that  institution;  and  at  the  same  time  secured  an  injunction 
from  the  supreme  court  restraining  him  from  paying  the  same  to  the 
treasurer  of  the  agricultural  college.  The  case  was  taken  before  the 
United  States  circuit  court,  and  a  decision  Avas  given  in  favor  of  the 
latter  institution.  The  university,  however,  appealed  to  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court,  and  the  final  disposition  of  the  fund  would  have 
been  greatly  delayed  had  it  not  been  for  a  new  measure  taken  by  the 
State  in  April,  1894.  This  was  the  passage  by  the  general  assembly 
of  a  compromise  act,  by  which  the  state  treasurer  was  authorized  to 
pay  to  Brown  University  the  sum  of  $40,000,  in  consideration  of  which 
that  institution  was  to  turn  over  to  the  State  the  $50,000  from  the 
land-grant  fund,  and  the  accumulated  Morrill  fund,  amounting  to 
$88,000.  This  has  been  done,  and  the  college  now  enjoys  the  benefit 
of  these  funds.  Up  to  that  time  the  institution  had  no  means  of  sup- 
port outside  of  the  State  appropriations. 

COURSES    OF    STUDY    AND    FACILITIES    FOR    INSTRUCTION. 

As  the  State  Agricultural  School  the  institution  offered  a  three 
years'  course,  comprising  two  years  of  high  school  and  one  of  col- 
lege work.  The  course  included  mathematics,  language,  science,  agri- 
culture, horticulture,  and  mechanics,  the  latter  consisting  then  of 
woodwork  only.  The  first  year  opened  with  a,  class  of  30  pupils,  and 
the  next  year's  class  was  equally  large.  The  institution  began  its 
third  year  as  the  Ehode  Island  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic 
Arts,  with  a  new  and  more  advanced  course  of  study.  The  length  of 
the  graduate  course,  leading  now  to  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  science, 
was  changed  to  four  years,  and  it  is  similar  in  character  to  that  of  the 
agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges  of  other  States.  The  graduate 
course,  the  same  for  all  students  during  the  freshman  year,  divides  at 
that  time  into  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  courses.  They  continue 
the  same  in  many  respects,  but  as  the  aim  in  one  case  is  preparation 
for  agricultural  pursuits,  and  in  the  other  for  mechanical  work,  the 
course  taken  is  modified  to  suit  the  end  chosen  by  the  student,  who 
must  decide  at  the  beginning  of  his  sophomore  year  which  line  he 
wishes  to  follow.  The  work  in  language  is  similar  throughout  the 
course,  and  the  two  divisions  study  botany,  physics,  the  first  two  terms 
of  chemistry,  astronomy,  political  economy,  and  pyschology  together; 
but  while  the  agricultural  student  goes  on  with  chemistry  and  biology 
and  takes  up  agriculture  and  kindred  subjects,  the  mechanical  student 
continues  mathematics  and  takes  up  practical  and  theoretical  mechan- 
ics. The  agricultural  student  receives  instruction  in  woodwork  and 
carpentering,  but  does  not  go  so  far  with  ironwork,  mechanics,  and 
engineering. 


THE    COLLEGE    OF    AGRICULTURE    AND    MECHANIC    ARTS.     203 

In  addition  to  the  graduate  courses  special  courses  are  given  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  can  not  take  the  full  course  in  four  years,  or  who 
wish  to  give  especial  attention  to  a  particular  line  of  work.  Young 
women  may  graduate  by  substituting  work  in  language,  art,  or  science 
for  the  practical  agriculture  and  mechanics  required  of  the  young  men. 
The  institution  gives  a  short  winter  course  in  agriculture  and  mechanics, 
as  many  who  would  like  to  avail  themselves  of  the  advantages  offered 
by  the  college  can  be  here  only  for  a  limited  time  during  the  winter. 
This  course  combines  practical  work  in  the  shops  with  a  certain  amount 
of  time  spent  in  the  recitation  room,  the  proportion  of  practical  and 
theoretical  work  being  fixed  by  the  desire  and  ability  of  the  student, 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  faculty.  No  student,  however,  is  allowed 
to  take  shop  work  alone,  but  must  maintain  a  fair  standing  in  at  least 
one  or  two  of  the  subjects  presented  in  the  lecture  room. 

The  aims,  facilities,  and  methods  of  the  instruction  given  by  the  col- 
lege may  be  seen  in  a  brief  account  of  some  of  the  various  departments. 


THE   MECHANICAL   DEPARTMENT. 


On  a  new  basis  and  with  increased  means  the  work  of  the  college 
has  been  extended  in  many  directions.  The  change  from  Agricultural 
School  to  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  has  made  especially 
important  the  further  development  of  the  mechanical  division,  which 
has  become  a  strong  department  of  the  institution.  A  mechanical 
building  has  been  opened,  containing  a  machine  shop,  well  equipped 
with  lathes,  planes,  drills,  and  other  machinery  and  apparatus  for  iron- 
work, together  with  facilities  for  woodwork  and  the  various  branches 
of  mechanical  instruction,  while  a  forge  shop  has  been  fitted  up  with 
forges,  anvils,  and  the  other  tools  necessary  for  that  line  of  work. 

The  mechanical  instruction  begins  with  graded  exercises  in  the  car- 
penter shop,  from  which  the  student  goes  to  the  turning  lathe  and  the 
machine  saw,  and  in  the  sophomore  year  takes  up  constructions, 
mechanical  drawing,  and  forging.  The  agricultural  juniors  continue 
forging  and  take  up  agricultural  mechanics,  while  the  mechanical  men 
take  lathe  work,  architectural  drawing,  strength  of  materials,  and 
principles  of  mechanism,  followed  in  the  senior  year  by  theoretical 
and  applied  mechanics,  engineering,  and  mechanical  practice.  Many 
of  the  young  women  at  the  college  have  taken  instruction  in  wood- 
carving. 

The  work  in  mathematics  begins  with  algebra  and  geometry  in  the 
freshman  and  trigonometry  in  the  sophomore  year.  The  mechanical 
juniors  take  up  analytical  and  descriptive  geometry  and  calculus,  with 
calculus  and  astronomy  in  the  senior  year.  The  agricultural  students 
also  receive  instruction  in  astronomy. 

Physics  is  taught  during  the  sophomore  year.  The  laboratory  con- 
tains apparatus  for  the  illustration  of  sound,  light,  heat,  and  electricity, 


204        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

which  are  taken  up  in  the  order  named.  The  study  of  electricity  and 
magnetism  is  continued  during  the  junior  year.  The  apparatus  includes 
a  solar  lantern,  which  is  also  very  useful  for  illustrated  lectures,  which 
are  given  in  connection  with  many  of  the  subjects  taught  in  the  vari- 
ous departments. 

THE    AGRICULTURAL   DEPARTMENT. 

The  aim  of  the  instruction  in  this  department  is  to  give  theoretical 
and  practical  agricultural  knowledge,  and  especially  to  impress  upon 
the  student  the  application  of  scientific  principles  to  agriculture.  The 
work  of  the  freshman  year  includes  the  study  of  farm  buildings,  tools 
and  machinery,  the  arrangement  of  fields,  fencing,  and  drainage.  Tbe 
sophomore  year  is  given  to  the  study  of  the  breeds  of  live  stock,  with 
lectures  on  the  care  of  farm  crops.  Two  terms  of  the  junior  year  are 
spent  on  the  study  of  soils,  manures,  and  fertilizers,  and  the  agriculture 
of  the  senior  year  is  devoted  to  the  laws  of  breeding  and  stock-feeding. 
This  division  of  the  college  receives  much  benefit  from  the  connection 
with  the  experiment  station,  as  its  farm  and  work  are  available  for 
illustration  and  its  library  for  reference. 

The  horticultural  department  maintains  a  fruit  and  vegetable  gar- 
den, including  an  orchard  of  260  trees,  a  vineyard  of  500  vines,  and 
plantations  of  the  smaller  fruits,  amounting  in  all  to  about  350  varieties. 
This  department  also  has  charge  of  the  planting  of  shade  trees  about 
the  college  grounds,  and  the  care  of  the  walks  and  lawns.  The  instruc- 
tion consists  of  lecture-room  exercises  and  practical  work  in  the  gardens. 

Botany  and  microscopy  are  taught  during  the  sophomore  and  junior 
years.  The  laboratory  is  equipped  with  compound  microscopes,  micro- 
meters, dissecting  instruments,  a  microphotographing  apparatus,  etc., 
with  tables  for  laboratory  work  and  cases  for  the  apparatus  and  for  the 
library  of  the  department. 

BIOLOGY. 

The  work  of  this  department  includes  anatomy,  physiology,  zoology, 
and  veterinary  science,  with  political  economy  and  psychology.  The 
outfit  of  the  division  includes  a  manikin,  a  large  model  of  the  horse, 
and  a  number  of  smaller  papier- mache^  models,  various  anatomical 
preparations,  dissecting  instruments,  and  other  apparatus.  The  library 
contains  a  number  of  excellent  works  on  biology,  political  economy, 
and  psychology. 

LANGUAGE   AND    HISTORY. 

History  is  studied  only  during  the  freshman  year.  The  first  term  is 
devoted  to  a  review  of  American  history  and  the  remainder  of  the 
year  to  general  history. 

English — comprising  rhetoric,  composition,  and  literature — is  studied 
throughout  the  entire  course.  In  the  junior  and  senior  years  especial 


THE    COLLEGE    OF    AGRICULTURE    AND    MECHANIC    ARTS.     205 

attention  is  given  to  English  and  American  literature,  the  work  of  the 
senior  year  being  largely  elective.  The  library  is  of  great  advantage 
to  this  department,  in  the  line  both  of  history  and  literature. 

French  is  studied  during  the  sophomore  year,  and  is  elective  for  the 
juniors  and  seniors.  The  work  comprises  grammar  and  composition, 
with  the  reading  of  short  stories  and  poems. 

German  is  required  during  the  junior  year,  and  is  elected  by  many 
of  the  seniors.  The  work  consists  of  grammar,  composition,  conversa- 
tion, reading^  and  an  outline  of  German  literature.  A  few  standard 
German  works  have  been  added  to  the  library. 

ART   DEPARTMENT. 

- 

The  art  department  has  been  provided  with  a  large  and  well-lighted 
studio,  containing  a  large  number  of  casts,  models,  drawings,  and  pho- 
tographs from  the  best  examples  of  painting  and  sculpture,  with  bric-a- 
brac,  draperies,  screens,  and  other  studio  properties.  The  rooms  are 
very  conveniently  arranged  with  cases  for  material  and  racks  for  the 
work  of  the  pupils.  A  portion  of  the  studio  is  devoted  to  an  excellent 
library,  which  is  of  the  greatest  value  to  the  art  student.  Charcoal 
drawing,  beginning  with  casts  and  simple  studies,  is  taken  up  by  the 
freshman  class  and  carried  through  the  sophomore  year,  one  term  of 
which  is  given  to  clay  modeling.  The  seniors  are  allowed  to  elect  draw- 
ing, life  work,  and  painting.  One  hour  each  week  is  given  to  rapid 
sketching  from  life,  in  which  all  are  at  liberty  to  take  part. 


COURSE  OF  STUDY. 
Freshman  year.  Freshman  year — Continued. 


FIRST  TERM. 

Hours. 

Algebra 5 

English 5 

Physical  geography 3 

History 2 

Latin  (elective) 3 


AFTERNOON. 


Agriculture  l 

Military  drill 2 

Beiichwork  in  wood 


SATURDAY. 


Military  tactics 

Inspection 

Military  drill2.. 


SECOND   TERM. 

Hours. 

Algebra 5 

English 5 

Physiology 3 

Latin  (elective) 3 

History 2 

AFTERNOON. 

Bookkeeping  and  business  law 5 

Woodwork 6 

Saturday,  same  as  first  term. 

THIRD  TERM. 

Algebra  and  logarithms 3 

English 4 

Geometry 4 

Physiology 2 

History 2 

Latin  (elective) 3 


1  Farm  management,  buildings,  fences,  and  tools. 

-Military  instruction  will  be  given  on  the   appointment  of  an  officer  by  the  War 
Department  to  the  college. 


206        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 


COURSE  OF  STUDY -Continued. 


Freshman  year — Continued. 

THIRD  TERM -Continued. 

AFTERNOON. 

Hours. 

Free-hand  drawing 4 

Agriculture ' 4 

Saturday,  same  as  first  term. 

Agricultural  course,  sophomore  year. 

FIRST  TERM. 

Geometry 5 

Agriculture  - 3 

Physics 3 

English 2 

Modern  language1 3 

Latin  (elective) 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Modeling 2£ 

Free-hand  drawing 2 

Practical  agriculture 4 2 

Physical  laboratory 2 

Wood  turning 3 

Saturday,  same  as  freshman  year. 

SECOND  TERM. 

Trigonometry 3 

Botany 4 

English 2 

Physics 3 

Modern  language 3 

Latin  (elective) 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Mechanical  drawing 2 

Constructions 2| 

Wood  turning 3 

Physical  laboratory 2 

Saturday,  same  as  first  term. 

THIRD  TERM. 

Surveying 1 

Physics 3 

Botany 5 

Modern  language 3 

Chemistry  (inorganic) 3 

Latin  (elective) 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Physical  laboratory  ' 2 

Practical  surveying 6 

Experimental  chemistry 2 

Saturday,  same  as  first  term. 


l  course,  sophomore  year. 
FIRST  TERM. 

Hours. 

Plane  geometry 5 

Solid  geometry 3 

Physics 3 

English 2 

Modern  language" 3 

Latin  (elective) 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Free-hand  drawing 

Wood  turning Q 

Physical  laboratory o 

Saturday,  same  as  freshman  year. 

SECOND  TERM. 

Trigonometry 3 

Botany 4 

English 2 

Physics 3 

Modern  language 3 

Latin  (elective) 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Mechanical  drawing 2 

Forging 6 

Physical  laboratory 2 

Saturday,  same  as  first  term. 

THIRD  TERM. 

Surveying i 

Physics 3 

Botany 5 

Modern  language 3 

Chemistry 3 

Latin  (elective) 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Experimental  chemistry 2 

Physical  laboratory 2 

Mechanical  drawing 3 

Forging 3 

Saturday,  same  as  first  term. 

Agricultural  course,  junior  year. 
FIBST  TERM.' 

Road  construction  and  leveling 3 

Zoology  and  entomology 4 

Inorganic  chemistry 3 

Modern  language 3 

'  Horticulture 2 

;  Latin  (elective) 


'Drainage.  2  Breeds  of  live  stock.    ' 

'Modern  language  will  be  French  or  German;  a  course  in  conversation,  composi- 
tion, and  scientific  French  and  German  is  given. 

4Farni  crops  and  their  cultivation.  c  Saturdays,  same  as  in  freshman  year. 


THE  COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE  AND  MECHANIC  ARTS.  207 

COURSE  OF  STUDY— Continued. 
Agricultural  course,  junior  year — Coiit'd.    |      Mechanical  course,  junior  year — Cont'cl. 


FIRST  TERM- Continued. 

AFTERNOON: 

Hours. 

Qualitative  analysis 4 

Practical  horticulture 2 

Leveling  and  road  surveying 3 

French  (elective) 3 


SECOND  TERM. 

English 

Agriculture  - 

Organic  chemistry 

Modern  language 

Physiological  botany 

French  (elective) 

Latin  (elective) 


Microscopy 

Forging 

Qualitative  analysis 

THIRD  TERM. 

English 

Agriculture  ~ 

Agricultural  chemistry  — 

Modern  language 

French  (elective) 

Latin  (elective) 


AFTERNOON. 

Chemical  laboratory 

Elect  1 : 

Free-hand  drawing 

Agricultural  mechanics 3 . . . 
Botanical  laboratory  work 


Mechanical  course,  junior  year 
FIRST  TERM.1 


Inorganic  chemistry 

Analytical  geometry 

Modern  language 

Electricity  and  magnetism 

Descriptive  geometry 

Latin  (elective) 


AFTERNOON. 


Qualitative  analysis 
Physical  laboratory 
Lathe  work  . . 


SECOND  TERM.1 

Hours. 

English 4 

Analytical  geometry 4 

Modern  language «. 3 

Calculus 3 

Latin  (elective) 

AFTERNOON. 

Qualitative  analysis G 

Lathe  work 3 

Mechanical  drawing 3 

THIRD  TERM.1 

English 4 

Calculus 3 

Strength  of  materials 2 

Modern  language 3 

Principles  of  mechanism 3 

Latin  (elective) 

AFTERNOON. 

Mechanical  laboratory 2 

Architectural  drawing 2 

Elect: 

Chemical  laboratory 6 

Mechanical  drawing 3 

Agricultural  course,  senior  year. 

FIRST  TERM. 
Anatomy  and  physiology  of  domestic 

animals,  and  veterinary  science..  .  5 
Political    economy   and    science    of 

government 4 

Modern  language  (elective) 3 

Agriculture  4 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Apiary  work 2 

Orations 1 

Art  work  (elective) 3 

SECOND  TERM. 

Veterinary  science 4 

Political    economy    and    science  of 

government 4 

Astronomy 4 

Market  gardening 3 

Modern  language  (elective) 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Geology 2 

Orations  . .  2 


1  Saturdays,  same  as  in  freshman  year. 

2  Soils,  manures,  and  fertilizers. 


3  Wood  or  iron  work. 

4 Stock  breeding  aud  feeding. 


208        HISTORY    OF   ^HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 


COURSE  OF  STUDY— Continued. 


Agricultural  course,  senior  year — Cont'd. 
THIRD  TERM. 

Hours. 

Forestrjr  and  landscape  gardening..  2 

Geology 2 

Mental  science 4 

Veterinary  science 4 

Thesis  work 3 

Modern  language  (elective) 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Geology  excursions 2 

Art  work  (elective) 3 

Mechanical  course,  senior  year. 
FIRST  TERM. 

Calculus 3 

Political  economy  and  science  of  gov- 
ernment     4 

Theoretical  and  applied  mechanics  .  5 
Elect  1 : 

§    English  literature 3 

Engineering 3 

Modern  language 3 

Chemistry 3 

AFTERNOON. 

Orations 2 

Practice,  mechanical 6 

Art  work  (elective) 3 


Mechanical  course,  senior  year — Cont'd. 
SECOND  TERM. 

Hours. 

Astronomy 4 

Political  economy 4 

Theoretical  and  applied  mechanics. .  4 
Elect  1 : 

English  literature 3 

Modern  language 3 

Engineering 3 

Chemistry 3 


AFTERNOON. 


Orations 

Practice,  mechanical 


THIRD  TERM. 

Thesis  work 

Mental  science 

Theoretical  and  applied  mechanics. 
Elect  1 : 

English  literature 

Modern  language 

Chemistry 

Engineering 


AFTERNOON. 

Practice,  mechanical 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  209 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

In  addition  to  the  following  works  which  have  been  consulted  for  in- 
formation, special  recognition  is  due  to  William  E.  Foster,  of  the  Provi- 
dence Free  Public  Library.,  and  Amos  Perry,  of  the  Ehode  Island  His- 
torical Society.  Through  the  courtesy  of  Augustine  Jones,  principal  of 
the  Friends'  School,  materials  were  furnished  from  private  collections 
and  from  the  records  of  the  school.  For  information  regarding  Brown 
University  acknowledgment  is  made  to  President  E.  B.  Andrews,  Prof. 
John  L.  Lincoln,  and  Dr.  Reuben  A.  Guild,  the  librarian. 

History  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantation.  2  vol8.  3d  edi- 
tion. New  York,  1878. 

Records  of  the  Colony  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations :  Edited  by  J. 
R.  Bartlett.  10  vols.  Providence,  1856,  and  in  succeeding  years. 

A  Catalogue  of  Books  and  other  Publications  Relating  to  the  State  of  Rhode  Island. 
John  Russell  Bartlett.  Providence,  1864. 

Early  Recollections  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island.  From  the  year  1793  to  1811.  George 
G.  Channing.  Newport,  1868. 

Annals  of  the  Town  of  Providence  from  its  First  Settlement  to  the  Organization  of 
the  City  Government  in  June,  1832.  William  R.  Staples.  Providence,  1843. 

Town  and  City  Government  of  Providence.  G.  G.  Wilson.  Providence,  1889. 
(Pamphlet). 

Stephen  Hopkins.     William  E.  Foster. 

Files  of  the  Providence  Gazette,  Newport  Mercury,  and  the  Providence  Journal. 

SCHOOLS   AND   ACADEMIES. 

Reunion  of  the  Young  Ladies'  High  School,  February  5,  1858.  Reprinted  from  Bar- 
nard's American  Journal  of  Education.  June,  1858. 

Organization  and  proceedings  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  New  England  Yearly 
Meeting  School.  This  volume  contains  the  account  of  the  proceedings  from  the 
years  1859  to  1867.  It  also  gives  selections  from  the  journals  kept  by  two  of 
the  teachers  who  were  at  the  school  when  it  was  reorganized  in  Providence. 

History  of  the  Town  of  East  Greenwich.     Dr.  D.  H.  Greene. 

Historical  Address  delivered  before  the  Alumni  of  East  Greenwich  Academy,  June  22, 
1882.  Dr.  Henry  E.  Turner.  (Pamphlet.) 

Dedicatory  address  by  Rev.  Augustus  Woodbury.  January  23,  1879.  (Pamphlet.) 
This  address  was  delivered  at  the  dedicatory  exercises  of  the  normal  school. 

A  History  of  Public  Education  in  Rhode  Island  from  1636  to  1876.  Edited  by  T.  B. 
Stockwell.  Providence,  1876. 

Life  and  Recollections  of  John  Howland,  late  president  of  the  Rhode  Island  Histor- 
ical Society.  By  Edwin  M.  Stone. 

Among  other  sources  of  information  regarding  schools  and  academies  are  cata- 
logues, memorial  addresses,  records,  local  histories,  newspaper  tiles,  and  interviews 

with  former  or  present  principals. 

BROWN   UNIVERSITY. 

History  of  Brown  University,  with  Illustrative  Documents.  Reuben  A.  Guild. 
Providence,  1867.  This  is  the  documental  history  of  the  University  to  the  year 
1867.  From  the  manuscripts  and  records  in  the  archives  of  the  University  Dr. 
Guild  has  prepared  this  work.  The  edition  was  limited  to  300  copies. 

Life,  Times,  and  Correspondence  of  James  Manning,  and  the  Early  History  of  Brown 
University.     Reuben  A.  Guild.     Boston,  1864.     From  the  Manning  correspond- 
ence in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Guild,  this  volume  was  edited.    It  is  valuable  for 
the  early  history  of  the  University. 
1123  B  I 14 


210        HISTORY    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION    IN    RHODE    ISLAND. 

The  First  Commencement  of  Rhode  Island  College,  and  especially  the  Discussion  of 
American  Independence,  which  constituted  the  prominent  feature  of  the  com- 
mencement exercises.  Reuben  A.  Guild,  Collection  of  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society,  Vol.  VH.  Providence,  1885. 

Literary  remains  of  Jonathan  Maxcy.     Romeo  Elton,  D.  D.     New  York,  1844. 

Francis  Waylaud.     James  O.Murray.     American  Religious  Leaders  series.     Boston, 
.     1891. 

A  Memoir  of  the  Life  and  Labors  of  Francis  Waylaud,  D.  D..  LL.  i>.  By  his  sons 
Francis  and  H.  L.  Wayland.  2vols.  New  York,  1867. 

Wayland  as  a  Metaphysician.     North  American  Review,  July,  1855. 

Waylaud,  Francis.    Atlantic  Monthly,  January,  1868. 

A  discourse  in  Commemoration  of  the  Life  and  Character  of  the  Hon.  Nicholas  Brown, 
delivered  in  the  chapel  of  Brown  University,  Novembers,  1841.  Francis  Way- 
land.  (Pamphlet.) 

Celebration  of  the  One  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Founding  of  Brown  University, 
September  6,  1864.  Providence,  1865.  In  addition  to  the  full  account  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  celebration,  numerous  quotations  are  given  from  the  early 
records  of  the  corporation. 

Brown  University  in  the  Civil  War.  A  memorial.  Henry  Sweester  Burrage.  Prov- 
idence, 1868. 

Dr.  Sears  as  a  Theological  Professor.  Prof.  O.  S.  Stearns,  D.  D.  Baptist  Quarterly 
Review,  Vol.  vi,  1883. 

Proceedings  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Peabody  Educational  Fund,  1874-1881,  Vol.  II. 
Boston,  1881. 

A  Discourse  Commemorative  of  the  Life  and  Services  of  Rev.  Alexis  Caswell,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.  June  19, 1877.  Prof.  John  L.  Lincoln.  Providence,  1877.  (Pamphlet.) 

Memoir  of  J.  Lewis  Diman,  compiled  from  his  letters,  journals,  writings,  and  the 
recollections  of  his  friends.  Caroline  Hazard.  Boston,  1888. 

Orations  and  Essays,  with  selected  parish  sermons  by  the  Rev.  J.  Lewis  Diman.  A 
memorial  volume  edited  by  J.  O.  Murray.  Boston,  1882.  This  volume  has  the 
memorial  discourse  which  was  delivered  by  Prof.  Murray  at  the  request  of  the 
corporation. 

Prof.  S.  S.  Greene,  LL.  Di?  by  Reuben  A.  Guild.  Baptist  Quarterly  Review,  Vol.  v, 
1883. 

George  Ide  Chace.     A  memorial  edited  by  James  O.  Murray.     Boston,  1886. 

William  Gammwell.  A  biographical  sketch,  with  selections  from  his  writings. 
Edited  by  James  O.  Murray.  Boston,  1890. 

Charter  of* Brown  University.  Reuben  A.  Guild.  Pamphlet  reprinted  from  Bap- 
tist Quarterly  Review,  April,  1875. 

Brown  University.     Reuben  A.  Guild.     The  New  England  Magazine,  January,  1886. 

Report  to  the  corporation  of  Brown  University  on  the  changes  in  the  system  of 
collegiate  education.  Providence,  1850.  This  pamphlet  of  76  pages  contained 
the  report  of  Dr.  Waylaud,  who  was  chairman  of  the  committee  chosen  by  the 
corporation  to  consider  the  changes  in  the  system  of  education. 

Exercises  at  the  opening  of  Sayles  Memorial  Hall,  Brown  University,  June  4,  1881. 
(Pamphlet.)  Providence,  1881. 

Collections  of  the  "  Liber  Brunensis,"  the  annuals  published  by  the  Greek  letter 
fraternities. 

College  catalogues  and  collections  of  the  programmes  of  various  academic  exercises. 


BlOGKAPHICAL   NOTE. 

William  Howe  Tolman  was  born  in  Pawtucket,  Rhode  Island, 
June  2,  1861.  He  prepared  for  college  at  the  University  Grammar 
School,  entering  Brown  University  in  1878,  and  graduating  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1882.  After  teaching  for  several  years,  he 
entered  the  Johns  Hopkins  University  in  1888.  His  major  subject 
was  History,  first  minor  Roman  Law,  and  the  second  minor  Admin- 
istration. The  subject  of  his  dissertation  for  his  Doctor's  Degree 
was  "  The  History  of  Higher  Education  in  Rhode  Island." 


™  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


OVERDUE. 


21-507n-l, 


